Shina Philips, founder and president of the Nigeria Pitch Awards, has backed the newly installed interim leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), while stressing that any reform must remain fully consistent with the rules of FIFA.
In a statement from Abuja, Philips welcomed the appointment of Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme and Dr Ademola Olajire to head the interim committee. He said their long experience gave him confidence that they could guide Nigerian football through its current administrative difficulties.
Philips said he had known both men for several decades and believed they would lead the federation toward a better direction. He also appealed to every stakeholder to provide the committee with the necessary backing as it works to rebuild the game.
He praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Sports Commission (NSC) for acting firmly on the need to reform the NFF. In his view, federal involvement was required to confront the deeper structural problems affecting the country’s sports administration.
At the same time, Philips warned that the reform programme must respect international governance standards in order to prevent Nigeria from becoming embroiled in disputes with global football regulators.
He urged the Presidency and the NSC to maintain close cooperation with the interim NFF managers and FIFA, saying every proposed change should correspond carefully with FIFA’s rules and guidelines.
Philips also pointed to football’s ability to bring Nigerians together. He called on football officials, former internationals and business partners to treat the reform effort as a common responsibility, rather than allowing it to become another source of conflict.
He noted that the sport commands a huge following nationwide and that Nigerians set aside their differences whenever the national teams are in action. Given football’s importance to the country, he said government assistance was indispensable, but insisted that developing Nigerian football ultimately required a collective commitment.
