With just 37 days to the expiration of the present board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) tenure, the race for Amaju Pinnick’s successor has begun in full force.
In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, across the country and beyond, powerful forces across the political and corporate sphere are allegedly mounting pressure on the former chairman of Gombe Football Association, Alhaji Ahmed Shuaibu-Gara Gombe trow his hat into the ring to take over the helm of NFF.
There were indications last week that the election would hold in September and candidates have since commenced moves to upstage the incumbent President Amaju Pinnick who despite performing woefully he is seeking a third term in office.
Those mounting pressure on Gara-Gombe include politicians, civil servants, diplomats, Nigerians in the diaspora and key figures in Corporate world who believe the major challenges that have dragged Nigeria football backward for years require a new direction through visionary leadership of the astute football administrator who is renowned as courageous, fearless, passionate and sincere.
The pressure group, contended that the legal framework for Nigerian football and serious distrust between the Federation and Corporate Nigeria that has militated against the country’s football development for years need urgent redress, stressing that the Nigerian football community must unite for a common purpose to return the country to where it should belong in the comity of nations, particularly to return its long-held leadership in West Africa, Africa and the world.
Gara Gombe has at different times been two-time chairman of Gombe United Football Club, member of Gombe State Sports Council Board, Secretary General of Nigeria Football Stakeholders Forum, Special Adviser on Sports Development to former Kano State governor, Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and is the youngest Match Commissioner in the history of Nigeria football after commissioning his first match at age 28 in Ibadan.
In addition to being vice chairman to Chief Adokiye Amiesimaka’s committee on the development of the Blueprint for the establishment of the Premier League in Nigeria, he was also among the three Nigerian representatives at the CAF Elective Congress in Egypt where Dr. Amos Adamu was elected as CAF Executive Committee member and consultant to both Julius Berger FC and Voice of Nigeria FC while his visionary programmes as the Gombe FA chairman have remained indelible to the present day.
His visionary programmes and initiatives as Gombe FA chairman, Gombe United and at Kano Pillars where he carried out courageous reforms as adviser to Kano State governor also stand him out. Lately, his international pedigree led him to being appointed as consultant to Avadas Football Club and Academy in Morocco.
