Sports

Our Aspiration is to improve level of Nigerian football- NFF President

Published

10 months ago

August 13, 2024

…As NFF signs Premium Trust Bank as official bank of national teams

Joel Ajayi

Nigeria Football Federation’s President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau has revealed that the desire and aspiration of the present NFF board is to improve the level of the Nigerian Football.
He stated this yesterday, at the signing of Memorandum of Understanding with Premium Trust Bank as the Official Bank of the NFF and the National Teams in the Federal Capital, Abuja.

President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, MON, who revealed that the agreement will be four years during which the leading financial institution will pay the football ruling body the sum of N300 Million annually (with a built-in clause for 10% increase every year), thanked the organization for its significant support and encouragement of Nigeria sports in less than three years of its existence.

“I want to assure all Nigeria that we are not going to relent on our effort to make sure we improve the level of football, and the only way we can do it is to get more support from individual and corporate bodies.

“We are excited to be associated with Premium Trust Bank because of its credible, close relationship with sports over its less-than-three-years life in the financial sector.

“During our interactions leading to the signing of this agreement, I was moved by the palpable enthusiasm and commitment of the organization to supporting and encouraging Nigerian youth all the way from the grassroots to stardom”.Managing Director/CEO of Premium Trust Bank, Mr. Emmanuel Emefienim CON, enumerated the corporate entity’s support for sports since its birth, including partnership with the Athletic Federation of Nigeria; support for Nigeria’s world record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles Tobi Amusan; sponsorship of the 2022 National Sports Festival in Delta State; support for Bayelsa Queens in its CAF Women Champions League campaign in Morocco and; sponsorship of the 2024 Abuja Half Marathon, among others.

“The bank, which prides itself as “a leading 21st century financial institution providing innovative solutions, which impacts its customers and communities to make a positive difference in their world” is also billed as official sponsor of this year’s National Sports Festival in Ogun State.

“We have been very deliberate in our support for sports, because we are deliberate when it comes to impacting lives. Our belief is that the private sector has a role to play in providing the platform for the youth to showcase their positive talents and be useful to themselves and the nation, thereby supporting the efforts of the government.

“We recognize football as a strong unifying factor in a highly diversified nation like ours. Supporting the NFF and football to identify talents from the grassroots and nurturing them to stardom, and thus contributing to national development, is a clarion call that we have heeded and are stoutly committed to. I believe our coming into this space will definitely take Nigeria Football to new heights of excellence”.

Gusau used the opportunity to assure Nigerians that his administration is wholly committed to improving Nigeria Football in all facets, and stated that “While celebrating the coming of Premium Trust Bank which is the first huge partnership that we are signing, we call on credible corporate entities like the bank to come forward and support the Nigeria game”

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Sports

FIFA MA Course: Gusau, FIFA instructors harp on hard work, integrity and fraternity

Published

18 hours ago

June 19, 2025

The Gleamer

The two-week FIFA Member Associations Course for physical and technical instructors, and Young Talents came to a close in Abuja on Thursday with FIFA Technical Instructor Ali Mohamed Ahmed publicly declaring his confidence in the ability of Nigeria’s budding arbiters to reach unprecedented heights in the vocation globally.

The physical and technical instructors’ course was activated between 9^th – 13^thJune, while the Young Talents programme lasted between Sunday, 15^th – Thursday, 19^th June 2025.

President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau (MON), who also doubles as President of WAFU B, told the young talents to endeavour to put all they have learnt during the course into practice, as the Federation is in the process of elevating more of the young talents to take on higher responsibilities, such as handling matches of the Nigeria Premier Football League.

“I am happy that now, we have a total of 86 young talents in our refereeing pool. This deeply gladdens my heart. Last year, we had 40 people undertake this course, and this year, we have 46. Let me reveal to you that 10 of those young talents from last year have been elevated to the NPFL, and none of them was found wanting throughout the season.

“Their record of performance gives great hope to yourselves, and also shows that the NFF is right in our commitment to the young talents. However, in order to keep improving, I charge you to always find ways to fraternize, collaborate in all aspects, and bond together to jointly and severally enhance your capacities.”

Mohamed, who is from Somalia, said: “I am very satisfied with the group that we worked with over the past one week – the young talents. Their level of assimilation is very high and I see them going places in the work of refereeing. Please always have integrity at the back of your mind in whatever you do.

“We know Nigeria is everywhere, qualifying for all major tournaments and winning trophies and putting up podium performances here and there. But it will also be good to have Nigerian referees not only in the AFCON but also at the FIFA World Cup. Having worked with these young ones for the past one week, I can tell you with assurance that the future of Nigerian refereeing is in very good hands.”

President of NRA, Hon. Sani Zubairu thanked FIFA and the NFF for the success of the programme, and asserted that the growing confidence in Nigerian referees at home and abroad can be traced to the support that the referees continue to get from the NFF for their capacity-enhancing programmes, and the intentionality of the NFF President.

FIFA Fitness Instructor Boubaker Hanachi from Tunisia was also present at the closing ceremony, as well as Nigerian instructors Felicia Okwugba, Peter Edibe, Cecilia Ugbuji, Emmanuel Imiere, Stella Emoji and Promise Uwaeme.

There were also President of the NRA, Hon. Sani Zubairu; Chairman of the NFF Referees Committee, Madam Faith Irabor; deputy chairman Rafiu Umar Gusau; members of the committee, Kabiyesi James Odeniran, Calistus Chukwudi Chukwujekwu, Dr Bello Mohammed, Abraham Zakowi, Waziri Abba Gawe and secretary, Mohammed Ameenu; NFF’s Director of Communications, Dr Ademola Olajire and; Chairman of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association, Isah Ladan Bosso.

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