National Sports Commission chairman Shehu Dikko is facing criticism over the decision to include former Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick in Nigeria’s delegation to FIFA headquarters in Zurich on Tuesday. The backlash came as officials rejected claims that Pinnick was being positioned to lead a proposed Normalisation Committee.
Quick facts
- Shehu Dikko leads the National Sports Commission.
- Amaju Pinnick was part of Nigeria’s delegation in Zurich on Tuesday.
- Reports that Pinnick could chair the Normalisation Committee were denied.
Prince Harrison Jalla, chairman of the Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reform Initiative, said Dikko had weakened President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reform agenda by taking Pinnick to Zurich. He argued that immediate past NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, along with former federation chiefs Aminu Maigari and Sani Lulu Abdullahi, had stronger claims to be included.
Jalla said football stakeholders and supporters were shocked to see Pinnick included, accusing him of presiding over eight years of decline before allegedly influencing and misleading the Gusau-led board for a further four years. If a former NFF president had to be part of the delegation, Jalla questioned why Gusau, Maigari or Lulu Abdullahi had not been selected.
He also challenged Dikko to explain the purpose behind the choice, asking whether the NSC chairman was acting out of allegiance to a close associate or out of duty to Tinubu and the Nigerian public. Jalla called on Dikko to check public sentiment before taking the process any further.
“He should examine the mood of Nigerians on social media towards the person whose reputation he is attempting to repair,” Jalla said.
Jalla maintained that the path to a new beginning was clear. In his view, a FIFA member association seeking a reset could write to FIFA under Article 8.2 of the FIFA Statutes and request the activation of a normalisation process.
He also cautioned Dikko not to turn the transition into another crisis, saying the NSC chairman had been part of the circumstances that left Nigerian football in its current condition. The opportunity provided by political links and good fortune, Jalla said, should not be misused.
Jalla added that Nigerians wanted Dikko to appoint his strongest available team to manage the sport rather than revive disputes from the past.
However, a senior member of the Zurich delegation rejected separate reports that Pinnick was being prepared to chair the Normalisation Committee, which FIFA is expected to appoint before the week ends.
The official said Pinnick had personally told FIFA in Zurich on Tuesday that he preferred to focus on his private business interests and retain his international football responsibilities. The claim that he was seeking the committee post was therefore described as false.
Pinnick’s supporters also highlighted his record of securing major sponsorship for the NFF during his presidency. His current roles as an adviser to the CAF president and deputy chairman of FIFA’s Men’s National Teams’ Competitions Committee were presented as valuable connections for Nigeria, not reasons to keep him away from the delegation.
Pinnick travelled to Zurich with Dikko, NSC director-general Bukola Olopade and NFF interim general secretary Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme. The trip followed Gusau’s resignation as NFF president.
FIFA’s proposed Normalisation Committee is expected to produce a reform roadmap for NFF administration. That work would include restructuring the Congress, which is currently heavily influenced by state football association chairmen and loyalists within the federation.
