Why I Refused To Sign Ex-NFF Chiefs’ Reform Paper Before FIFA – Lulu

Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Sani Abdullahi Lulu has explained his decision not to endorse a position paper submitted by former NFF administrators to the visiting FIFA and CAF delegation in Abuja.

Lulu said he declined to sign the document because he was not given an opportunity to scrutinise its contents or contribute to its recommendations before it was presented.

The former NFF president was among former federation presidents and secretary-generals who met the FIFA and CAF governance assessment delegation during its consultations in Abuja.

According to Lulu, he was initially informed that the former NFF officials would meet to agree on a common position before meeting the FIFA and CAF delegation.

He said the arrangement changed without his involvement and he was later informed that the group had reached a decision and wanted him to endorse it.

“I was there as the most surviving former NFF president and they gave me the impression that we were going to have a meeting before the meeting with the FIFA/CAF delegation,” Lulu said.

“Before I knew it, they had manipulated it, changed the date and only for the former secretary-generals to call me to say they were already meeting and had taken a decision.”

Lulu said he was subsequently sent only the final page of the document, which already contained the signatures of most participants.

However, a former NFF secretary-general who attended the meeting, but requested anonymity, disputed Lulu’s account, insisting that the former president was fully briefed and carried along.

The former official said the joint paper was sent to Lulu on September 11 and again on September 13 for his perusal and possible input.

He also claimed that Lulu had initially promised to sign the document after presenting his views to the FIFA and CAF delegation, but later declined to endorse it.

Lulu, however, maintained that the process was flawed, particularly because former NFF president Ibrahim Gusau and former secretary-general Mohammed Sanusi were not involved despite having resigned from their positions on August 27.

“My thought was that the immediate NFF president, Ibrahim Gusau, and his secretary-general, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, who just resigned their positions, would be part of the meeting and I would be able to ask personally, why did you resign?” he said.

The former administrators’ proposal reportedly called for a six-month Normalisation Committee to overhaul football administration before fresh elections, alongside changes to the NFF Congress and wider representation for leagues, players, coaches, referees and grassroots stakeholders.

Lulu said FIFA and CAF should first establish directly from Gusau why he resigned before considering any Normalisation Committee.

He also drew parallels with his own controversial exit from the NFF presidency, recalling that he resisted pressure from government officials to resign and later challenged an attempted removal through the courts.

“I told them, the former secretaries and Maigari, that I’m not in support of the procedure they have taken,” Lulu said.

He also rejected suggestions that his refusal to sign was motivated by a desire to return as NFF president.
“There is nothing that will bring me back to NFF except 250 million Nigerians beg me,” he said. “So, I remain and I am not interested in the NFF job again.”

Lulu said his objection was strictly about the procedure adopted in producing the document.
He proposed that the paper should first have been presented to National Sports Commission chairman Shehu Dikko for discussion before he would consider endorsing it.

His stance has added another dimension to the divergent positions presented to FIFA and CAF during their Abuja consultations over the leadership vacuum and proposed reforms in Nigerian football.