The Honourable Minister of Youth Development, who is also the
supervising Minister/Chairman of the National Sports Commission,
Malam Bolaji Abdullahi on Tuesday in Abuja unveiled the construction
of the Nigeria Football House, which will, on completion, house the
Nigeria Football Federation.
The short but significant ceremony took place at the site of the
project, inside the Package B of the National Stadium Complex, Abuja.
It is very close to the FIFA Technical Centre.
Giving a background to the project, the Director-General, National
Sports Commission, Chief (Dr) Patrick Ekeji traced the setting up of
the Presidential Task Force for the Super Eagles’ qualification for
the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa, headed by Governor
Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State, and said the Task Force unanimously
agreed on utilizing money left from the assignment on a befitting
legacy for Nigeria football.
In his speech, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi lauded the Presidential Task
Force for the initiative, saying that the Force had set a worthy
example that persons called up to serve the country in any capacity
should always think of leaving projects and programmes that would
endure.
NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu said the NFF was elated by
the unveiling, adding that the Federation had earlier approached world
football-governing body, FIFA for the building of a secretariat as a
Goal Project, but that the intervention of the PTF has now made NFF to
inform FIFA to convert it to another worthwhile Goal Project.
He praised the efforts of the PTF in complementing the works of the
NFF to qualify the Super Eagles for the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals and
for its magnanimity and vision in conceiving the construction of a
Football House.
Also present at the event were a representative of the Senate
President, directors of the NSC including Dr Bolaji Ojo-Oba (Director
of Federations and Elite Athletes department, and immediate past
General Secretary of NFF), deputy directors and assistant directors of
the National Sports Commission, Director of Technical of NFF (Dr
Emmanuel Ikpeme), other top officials of the NFF and invited
dignitaries.
The contractor disclosed that the building of the project will last 52 weeks.
Sent in by Aderonke Ogunleye
