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Ex-NFF Vice President thumbs NLO on grassroots football devt.
Former first Nigeria Football federation President and Chairman, Lagos State Football Association (LSFA), Seyi Akinwunmi, has commended the Nigeria Nationwide League One (NLO) for developing grassroots football in the country.
Akinwunmi gave the commendation at a press briefing heralding the 2023 NLO season held at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
NFF scribe hailed the performance of the amateur league organisers, which he noted was a positive development in the country’s football.
“The facts speak for themselves; NLO is the pride of Nigerian football development because it is the core grassroots development programme.
“From what I have seen in the past years, in development, it is nothing compared to what we will see in the next three years because there has been a lot of work done.
“There are lots of efforts in data collection, communication and organization. Nigeria can watch out for this space in our football development and key into it.
“What will happen in the next three years will be amazing because my core interest in football is grassroots development, which NLO represents,” he said.
Akinwunmi added that grassroots football presented an opportunity for the underprivileged ones to express their skills in the game.
“I do get minimum of 10 calls in five days from parents and guidance’s who want their children to play football; what they want is grassroots football.
“Grassroots football also encourages young coaches, referees among others. I know in the next few years to come, football will not be the same in Nigeria.
“Unfortunately, I am spending my last tenure as the Lagos State Football Association Chairman as I won’t be seeking re-election, maybe this time around, I will be able to own an NLO club,” he said.
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of NLO, Olusola Ogunnowo, said the 2023 league season would be better organized in terms of security and unbiased officiating.
“We have put in measures to have exciting 2023 league season, so we are calling for full support from the various stakeholders.”
NAN
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Groups condemn sponsored protests, media attacks against ex-NNPCL boss Kyari
Joel Bisi
Coalition Of Civil Society Organisations In Nigeria (COCSON) and Bloggers and Vloggers, Content Creators Association (BAVCCA) have warned against politically engineered protests against the immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Malam Mele Kyari, who “served the nation faithfully.”
In a statement jointly signed by COCSON’s National Mobilisation Officer Comrade Ibrahim Danfulani and BAVCCA’s Spokesperson Efe John Abayomi, the two groups urged President Bola Tinubu to overlook undue distraction from enemies of his administration while rejecting a calculated attempt to malign the person and office Kyari hitherto held concerning the $2 billion crude-for-loan deal.
COCSON and BAVCCA chided agents of mischief and fake news merchants over baseless media attacks on the former NNPCL GCEO while urging anyone with genuine proof of Kyari’s wrongdoing while in office to present it through proper legal channels and not through sponsored headlines and mob protests.
The groups maintained that Kyari has done everything a true patriotic and honest leader can do. In a very difficult economic crisis and Part of the solution to Nigeria’s foreign exchange challenge, a puzzle that nearly crumbled the economy.
The statement read in part:
“We will not sit back and watch a reformer be sacrificed on the altar of politics. We call on our progressive President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remain steadfast and not allow these desperate tactics to distract his government from the broader goal of sanitizing the petroleum sector.
“If anyone has genuine proof of wrongdoing, let them present it through proper legal channels — not through sponsored headlines and mob protests.
“Mele Kyari has done everything a true patriotic and honest leader can do. In a very difficult economic crisis, He stood for the greater good of all Nigerians instead of a few cabals. He has been Part of the solution to Nigeria’s foreign exchange challenge, a puzzle that nearly crumbled the economy.
“Let us be clear: this is not a scandal — it is a structured misrepresentation of a standard commercial transaction that predates this administration and has been carefully supervised under the regulatory and sovereign structures of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
THE TRUTH THEY WON’T TELL YOU:
“The $3.3 Billion Crude-Backed Loan Was a Sovereign Deal: This transaction, executed in collaboration with Afreximbank and backed by the Federal Government, was designed to stabilize Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves and provide a buffer against economic shocks — not to “mortgage Nigeria’s future” as ignorantly portrayed by politically motivated street protesters hired by ungrateful elements working against the progressive leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Kyari Was Not Acting Alone: Every stage of the crude-for-loan framework was vetted by relevant agencies — including the Ministry of Finance, Debt Management Office, and the Attorney General’s Office. Kyari was executing national policy, not personal ambition.
“No Missing Crude, No Diversion of Funds: There is zero evidence of crude diversion, missing shipments, or financial misappropriation. All proceeds and repayment schedules are transparent, documented, and auditable. Anyone who has a valid case should first present proof of his claims instead of taking Nigerians’ collective sense of judgment for a ride.
“Kyari Has Been Nigeria’s Most Transparent NNPC Boss in Decades: Under Kyari’s leadership, NNPC was transitioned into a commercially-run, limited liability company. For the first time in NNPC’s history, its books are published, audited, and made public. That’s not corruption — that’s reform.
“The Protest Is Politically Engineered: We have credible information that certain vested interests, threatened by the sanitization of the oil sector, are sponsoring protests and media hysteria to derail reforms and force Kyari out.”
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