The Minister/Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi; the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari; General Secretary of the NFF, Barrister Musa Amadu; and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative/Ambassador to the United Nations Office at Geneva had useful deliberations with the top hierarchy of FIFA on Thursday morning.
At the meeting, which took place at FIFA’s imposing Headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, Abdullahi simply conveyed to FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, and his officials the peace resolutions adopted by all parties involved in the Nigeria football crisis on Tuesday, saying that the matter had been amicably resolved by the maturity of all and deference to national interest.
On the FIFA side of the table were Blatter; General Secretary, Jerome Valcke; Director of National Associations, Thierry Regenaff; Manager of National Associations, Primo Corvaro; and Oliver Bert from the FIFA Media Office.
The Permanent Representative/Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Umunna H. Orjiako, was with Abdullahi, Maigari and Amadu.
There was much to smile about as Blatter was informed that the intervention of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, and over-riding national interest had helped fashion a way out of the logjam.
It would be recalled that on Tuesday, peace returned to Nigeria football following a reconciliatory meeting championed by the SGF and Abdullahi, who eventually brokered the peace terms and signed as one of the parties to the agreement.
This was done alongside the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Dr. Patrick Ekeji; Maigari; Amadu; and the two principal personalities involved in lawsuits, Barrister Ray Nnaji and Dr. Sam Sam Jaja.
All parties agreed to terminate all court processes and not to enforce a recent court judgement obtained by Jaja, while the NFF would accommodate the eminent persons in ways stated in the resolutions.
The Nigerian delegation will return to the country tomorrow evening.