HARRISON JALLA PERSPECTIVE: Please Nigerian Citizenship For Infantino So That Pinnick Stays Out Of Jail

One thing that cannot be taken away from Amaju Pinnick’s ongoing disastrous two-term tenure as President of the NFF is his mastery of diversionary tactics, a real maverick whose hands remain firmly in the cookie jar.

President Muhammadu Buhari (PICTURED with Infantino) in less than four months has received two branded jerseys from Pinnick’s Arrangement.

Mr President’s dear wife, our amiable First Lady Aisha Buhari, now has a female football tournament foistered on her with less than 20 months left in office.

Aisha Buhari, a foremost human rights activist, is not a known female football enthusiast.

The Aisha Buhari Cup, an international invitational tournament, was just recently organised in Lagos, Nigeria, purportedly to promote the girl-child.

It attracted dignitaries including the FIFA President Gianni Infantino, CAF President Patrice Motsepe and several other football federation presidents within the African continent.

The dignitaries also included top government functionaries led by the Governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Pinnick in his characteristic showmanship created so much razzmatazz around the Aisha Buhari Cup to warm his way into Nigeria’s First Family, a strategy to scare the anti-graft agencies ICPC and EFCC currently investigating him from prosecuting him.

In a video that went viral on the social media, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and CAF President Patrice Motsepe, on a visit to President Buhari, were seen heaping encomiums on Pinnick to the Nigerian President.

“Warri no de carry last”…. 

But anyway whatever agenda was taken to Mr President by the two gentlemen, it was inappropriate and a clear breach of football code of conduct.

It’s an undue interference in the internal affairs of Nigeria Football and completely unacceptable, particularly since the NFF Election is around the corner.

Considering the number of times FIFA President has visited Nigeria inside Pinniick’s tenure, arrangements should simply be put in place to process Nigerian citizenship for Infantino.

But in reality what is the true state of Nigeria domestic football?

Akwa United, Nigerian champions and No 1 representatives in the CAF Champions League, just crashed out of the competition.

 Nigeria used to be the powerhouse of women’s football in Africa, but even the just-concluded Aisha Buhari Cup has revealed that the country’s all-conquering female team, the Super Falcons, are going down the drain.

But Pinnick seems not to be bothered by the many, many setbacks his tenure has plunged Nigeria Football into, he is only interested in promoting his own ambitions.

BY HARRISON JALLA