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Anambra FA Election; Why FIFA Must Intervene Now!

Published

6 years ago

August 4, 2020

The World football governing body FIFA is totally against any form of government interference in association football and may come down hard on the Nigeria football federation NFF, if Senator Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah submits an official complain before the FIFA ethics committee explaining the role the NFF played by scuttling a properly conducted state FA Election.

It is no longer news that FIFA seriously frowns at government interference in football matters and that what happened in Anambra state is purely political and another case of government interference.

Anambra state governor Willie Obiano is of the ‘All Progressive Grand Alliance’ APGA, while Senator Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah his political rival, is of the ‘Young Progressive party’ YPP.

Ubah remains the strongest opposition to APGA in the run-in to the fast approaching gubernatorial elections in the state and that has put the incumbent in a state of confusion right from the very beginning.

He is also aware that Ubah’s strongest weapon is football, a tool he has used to mobilize millions of Anambra youths to his side. He is therefore determined to break that cord by stopping him from making a triumphant return as Anambra state FA chairman, a position he has been occupying for the last 4 years.

Unfortunately for him, all those he pushed forward to compete against Senator Ubah in the state FA election, lacked the will or prerequisite credentials to do so as they were either disqualified or advised to step down when the ovation became loudest.

In his desperation, he finally found a willing ally in NFF chairman of chairmen Ibrahim Gusau, who went to Anambra state with the intention to supervise the election only to fall for the prank of the state government by fooling Nigerians that football association Elections cannot hold in the state because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The NFF on their part failed woefully to advice him that the state FA Elections was to be decided by just 26 delegates in a state where over 50,000 persons attend churches every Sunday and more than 10,000 persons are seen daily at the popular markets.

In complying with the directives of the state government and the NFF, the electoral committee for the election put a stop to the process and advised the state FA to respect the NFF release which quoted governor Obiano’s reasons as part of their reason to stop the elective congress.

The state FA congress later met and did the needful by first amending the statutes and approving virtual election as the only way forward. This decision was taken on July 27.

Based on the congress approval, the electoral committee wrote the NFF, to inform them of this latest development and their intention to conduct a virtual election. This they eventual did on Sunday August 2, only for the NFF to declare the process illegal and to go a step further by constituting a caretaker committee to run fooball affairs in the state for the next 3months.

That committee according to the NFF will be inaugurated on Wednesday August 5 in Awka, Anambra state

Coincidentally, the chairman of this new committee that was inaugurated by the NFF, Mr Emmanuel Okeke, contested and lost with just two votes in the virtual elections that was conducted on August 2.

Now Where does FIFA comes in?

It is clear from all that has been said here, that this is purely a political battle and that the state governor has influenced the NFF by whatever means, to stop Senator Ubah from continuing as Anambra FA chairman. What that means therefore is that there is a clear case of government interference which FIFA frowns at.

Article 17 of the FIFA Regulations[2], provides that:

“Each member shall manage its affairs independently and with no influence from third parties.”
Countries that have fallen foul of the non-interference rule of FIFA have either been banned, or suspended for various lengths – some for a few months, while others, years – usually dependent on how long it takes the erring country to rectify its wrong.

In 2008, FIFA threatened to suspend Spain from Euro 2008 unless the Spanish government allowed the Spanish Football Federation’s elections to proceed[3]. In 2015, the FIFA Executive Committee suspended the Indonesia Football Association (PSSI) with immediate effect due to what FIFA labelled the “take over” of Indonesia’s national football governing body by the Indonesian authorities.[4]
On the 9th of October 2007, elections had been held in Kuwait – a decision contrary to the decision of the FIFA Executive Committee in May 2007. This led to the recommendation to the FIFA Executive Committee that the Kuwait Football Association be suspended.[5] Kuwait’s Football Federation board resigned days after FIFA suspended the Gulf Arab State.

From the examples cited above, it is obvious that in situations where there is a clash between FIFA Rules and intervention by the government, FIFA would prevail, owing to the fact that it is the governing body of footballing activities in the world and all Member Associations are subject to its laws and regulations.

What senator Ifeanyi Ubah needs to do as a matter of urgency is to do a letter to CAF and FIFA, briefing them of these developments and asking them to come to his aid.

There is every likelihood that in the coming days, FIFA will respond as the NFF has no right whatsoever to interfere in a state football election. What they have done is totally out of place and in complete breach of the FIFA statutes and must be condemned by all.

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Strategic Partnerships, Diaspora Investment and Improved Workforce Critical to Industrialization-DG RMRDC

Published

6 hours ago

November 12, 2026

The Gleamer

By: Stella Azi and Adaora Adibe

The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, has called for a strategic shift from the exportation of raw commodities to domestic processing, manufacturing and value addition, declaring that Nigeria possesses enormous untapped raw material resources capable of driving industrialisation, creating jobs and strengthening the country’s economic competitiveness.

Prof. Ike-Muonso made this submission in a lecture titled Unlocking Nigeria’s Raw Material Value Chain for Industrialization, Manufacturing and Competitiveness, where he presented an extensive assessment of Nigeria’s resource endowments, industrial challenges and emerging investment opportunities across agricultural commodities, solid minerals and waste-based raw materials.

The lecture highlighted a combined US$2.65 trillion global market opportunity across 30 major raw material value chains, comprising 12 agricultural value chains valued at US$932 billion, 11 mineral value chains worth US$1.352 trillion and seven circular-economy value chains estimated at US$366 billion.

According to the RMRDC Boss, Nigeria must move beyond the traditional approach of extracting and exporting raw materials to building competitive domestic industries that transform these resources into intermediate products, industrial inputs and finished goods for local consumption and international markets.

He observed that the country’s manufacturing sector has struggled to sustain its 2014 peak, with its contribution to real Gross Domestic Product declining from 9.64 per cent in 2014 to 8.05 per cent in 2025, representing a 16.5 per cent decline. He also drew attention to the increasing cost of raw material imports, which rose to US$20.5 billion in 2025, approximately six times the 2020 level.

He explained that the growing dependence on imported industrial inputs exposes Nigerian manufacturers to foreign exchange volatility, increases production costs and weakens the competitiveness of locally manufactured products.

Prof. ke-Muonso stressed that the solution lies in developing domestic raw material value chains through deliberate investment in processing facilities, research and development, technology, infrastructure and stronger linkages between producers, processors and manufacturers.

He identified agriculture, solid minerals and industrial waste as three major resource platforms for Nigeria’s industrial transformation, stating the country’s significant production capacity and the enormous opportunities available for downstream processing.

Ike-Muonso noted that Nigeria produces over 63 million metric tonnes of cassava annually, making it the world’s largest producer, while also maintaining strong positions in cocoa, cashew, sesame, palm oil and cotton. However, more than 80 per cent of agricultural output leaves farms without adequate processing, resulting in the loss of significant economic value and industrial opportunities.

In the solid minerals sector, he identified more than 44 commercially viable minerals across over 500 locations, including lithium, gold, barite, bitumen, iron ore and high-grade limestone, describing them as strategic resources capable of supporting steel production, energy storage, electrification and advanced manufacturing.

The DG further drew attention to Nigeria’s industrial and agro-waste resources, noting that the country generates over 32 million tonnes of solid waste annually. He explained that agricultural residues, cassava peels, scrap metals, plastics and electronic waste could serve as important feedstock for bio-fertilisers, industrial chemicals, recycled polymers, energy production and other manufacturing applications.

In the agricultural sector, the DG identified cassava and industrial starch, cotton and natural textiles, natural rubber and elastomers, oil palm and oleochemicals, maize derivatives and cocoa processing as priority areas requiring increased investment.

He explained that processing agricultural commodities into industrial starch, sweeteners, textiles, technical rubber, specialty fats and other intermediate products would enable Nigeria to capture more value from its agricultural resources while reducing dependence on imported industrial inputs.

For the minerals sector, he highlighted crude oil-to-olefins and petrochemicals, lithium and energy storage, iron ore and steel, rare earth elements, bauxite and aluminium, and copper and electrification as strategic investment opportunities.

He particularly emphasised the importance of moving beyond mineral extraction into beneficiation, refining, battery precursors, industrial chemicals, metal fabrication and advanced materials production.

On the circular economy, Prof. Ike-Muonso identified electronic waste recovery, scrap metal recycling, plastic waste processing, agro-waste valorisation and battery recycling as emerging industrial opportunities.

He explained that transforming waste into productive industrial feedstock would not only reduce environmental pollution but also create new manufacturing industries, generate employment and reduce the importation of valuable industrial materials.

He noted that to address the structural challenges confronting raw material-based industrialisation, the DG highlighted the strategic interventions of the RMRDC, particularly the proposed 30% Value Addition Bill and the Nigeria Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISSRAMP).

He described the 30% Value Addition Bill as an important policy instrument designed to encourage domestic processing of raw materials before export, strengthen local manufacturing capacity and guarantee access to essential raw materials for Nigerian industries, and NISSRAMP as a critical data infrastructure that would improve access to verified information on the availability, location and quality of raw materials.

According to him, the combination of appropriate policy instruments and reliable resource data would help de-risk investments, improve transparency and strengthen confidence in Nigeria’s raw material sector.

He emphasised the importance of collaboration among government, academia and industry in developing bankable projects, sharing investment risks and accelerating the establishment of processing and manufacturing facilities.

Professor Ike-Muonso called on Nigerians in the diaspora and other local and international investors to take advantage of the opportunities available in Nigeria’s raw material sector.

He identified industrial processing parks, mineral beneficiation and refining, agro-industrial platforms, circular-material processing, industrial input manufacturing and enabling infrastructure as viable investment platforms.

He noted that diaspora investors could contribute beyond financial capital by bringing technology, international business networks, governance standards, technical expertise and access to global markets.

He maintained that Nigeria’s industrial transformation requires coordinated investment across the entire value chain, from raw material sourcing and aggregation to processing, manufacturing, certification and export development.

Professor Ike-Muonso stressed that the country’s industrial future would depend not merely on the volume of raw materials extracted but on the capacity to transform them into competitive products that meet domestic and international market requirements.

He maintained that developing local value chains would stimulate industrial growth, create employment opportunities, diversify exports, conserve foreign exchange and deepen Nigeria’s technological capabilities.

Through its strategic interventions, the RMRDC is positioning itself as a critical bridge between resource availability, investment opportunities and industrial competitiveness, with the ultimate objective of transforming Nigeria from a predominantly raw material exporting economy into a strong manufacturing and value-adding nation.

Ike-Muonso has demonstrated this since assumption of office as the Director General/ CEO RMRDC in the area of capacity building, improved working conditions, promotion of merit, and maintaining a conducive environment that rewards excellence, innovation and dedication. This is evident in his institution of RMRDC training school, reward for winners of the RMRDC innovation challenge among others.

His commitment has brought recognition both nationally and internationally: Al-Jazirah double honour awards as Public Servant /Government Agency of the year 2024-2025 and the recent election as the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Representative on the Board of the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organisations (WAITRO) is a attestation to his commitment.

Concluding the lecture, the DG charged staff, researchers, manufacturers and investors to see themselves as nation builders in the new era of raw materials-led industrialization.

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