Sports
A real Stakeholder has landed! All Hail Abba Mukhtar, the man with the midas touch
Many have declared before him but his declaration has left tongues wagging. His coming has given this whole contest a fresh dimension
In the last few weeks or so, names emerged from the blues as stakeholders staked their money for the ultimate prize. Names cropped up from the north, south, east and west leaving many with the option of permutations and calculations.
Reason is that, some felt that the time has come for the new order. They say, if Amaju must go, all those his kingpins that conspired with him to leave our football in this present mess, have to go with him.
They say, if for eight years, these men failed woefully to right the many wrongs in Nigeria football,, they stand no chance to get it right if given the chance to try.
We have in this group of unlookers, a man who skillfully wants to play nice. For eight years, he surrendered to loyalty and never for once did he stand up to look his boss at the face. Is that the leader we want to have? The answer is no!
Then there is another who flourishes in the glamor and razzmatazz of international appointments at the expense of his original assignment. He is loved by many but has overstretched the handshake. Today, those who love him have joined the opposition to fight him. That’s the unfortunate reality of the moment but it has to do with hia ungodly loyalty and attachment to a man who for eight years as NFF president spent more time before the mirror, admiring himself and his personal achievements at the expense of our National pride and goal.
You might want to exonerate others who claim that there is little or nothing they could do to steady the ship. However, if the head is bad, the body is useless.
Now step forward Alhaji Abba Mukhtar, a man whose tenure as FCT FA chairman has brought new lease of life to a state struggling to live up to it’s status as the home of Nigeria football.
Mukhtar has changed the narratives, he has employed men and women with capacity and class and has given them authority to work. The secretariat stands out as one, if not the best in the land, the FCT grassroot policy stands out as the very best in Nigeria today and added to that, we have a selfless leader who is determined to return Nigeria football to it’s rightful place on the global map.
In outlining his plans for Nigeria football, Mukhtar didn’t mince words. He has identified his priorities and has promised to stay loyal to them.
Among these priorities is creating an enabling environment for Nigeria football to thrive, putting in place a functional and working secretariat, relaunching Nigeria football as one of the Super powers of Africa and World football, investing in age grade national teams and returning to the grassroot, the home of talent.
For those who don’t know this man, let me educate you a little.
Abba Mukhtar Mohammed is a successful businessman and politician who was elected FCT FA Chairman three years ago after he had served the FA as Second Vice Chairman. Mohammed majored in Accounting and Economics at the Middlesex University in the United Kingdom and has a deep passion for the round leader game.
His passion is football. Infact, he eats and drinks football. No wonder, most Nigerian footballers, especially those that grew up in the north identify with him.
For him, the footballers come first. He doesn’t collect money from footballers, he gives them money if and when they ask. He is focused, young and enterprising, he is an ambitious goal getter, one with an eye for results.
Two days after announcing his intention to contest for the NFF presidential seat, the game changer has had to battle with negative and positive vibes but he is resolute and determined, ready to see this to the very end.
Sports
Tinubu, Fashola, Governors, UNESCO, Sports Leaders to Headline National Grassroots Sports Summit
Joel Ajayi
The stage is being set for a landmark gathering at the Presidential Villa as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, and leading figures from government, sports administration and international development feature in the proposed opening-day programme of the National Grassroots Sports Development Summit 2026.
In a statement signed by Thursday by the Chairperson Media Sub-com National Grassroot Sports Summit Dr. (Mrs.) Kehinde Ajayi stated that, the two-day Summit, scheduled for November 18–19, 2026, at the Banquet Hall, State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja, is being organized by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Hon. Adeyinka Anthony Adeboye.
With the theme “Creating a New Pathway for Sustainable Grassroots Sports Development,” the gathering seeks to produce practical solutions to Nigeria’s longstanding challenges in talent discovery, infrastructure, funding, coaching and athlete development.
The opening day, Wednesday, November 18, promises high-level engagement, with President Tinubu listed as Special Guest of Honour, while Fashola is scheduled to deliver a keynote address.
Also featuring in the Day One programme is Dr. Tayo Aduloju, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), whose organization has been engaged as technical partner to help translate discussions into a workable development roadmap.
Other personalities and institutions on the opening-day lineup include the Chairman and Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko and Hon. Bukola Olopade; the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum; the President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON); and the Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Nigeria.
Also listed are Barrister Enitan Oshodi, President of the African Table Tennis Federation; the President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee; and Dr. Musa Nakorji of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Research Department.
The involvement of these personalities reflects the Summit’s emphasis on connecting sports development with economic planning, education, grassroots governance, international cooperation and private-sector investment.
Adeboye described the gathering as an opportunity to move Nigerian sports beyond isolated achievements towards a coordinated national development system.
“The real question is not whether Nigeria has sporting talent.
We know we have talent in abundance. The question is how we build a system that discovers, nurtures and supports that talent consistently, from our communities and schools to the international stage,” he said.
He stressed that the participation of state governments, local councils, development institutions and sports administrators would be critical to producing lasting outcomes.
The Summit will continue on Thursday, November 19, with further stakeholder engagements aimed at developing actionable recommendations for sustainable grassroots sports development with preparations intensifying, organizers are confident that the gathering will provide a defining platform for strengthening the foundation of Nigerian sports and expanding opportunities for young people nationwide.
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