The attention of the Civil Society Network for Good Governance has been drawn to a clandestine ploy by some disgruntled and unpatriotic elements to capitalize on the current tensions across Nigeria to commit arson at the headquarters of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), in Abuja.
The good people of Nigeria will recall that the Civil Society Network for Good Governance had just last week called out a serious conspiracy against the NFF and its leadership, with a view to discredit Nigeria in the international community, at a time when the NFF President stands a good chance of becoming the President of the Confederation of African Football. Nigerians will also recall that during that media briefing we had called on all who are interested in taking the reins of leadership of the Football Federation to test their popularity at the polls when it is time for elections, while coming together to cooperate with the incumbent leadership that has put Nigerian football on the mend, rather than discrediting the Federation and Nigeria before sponsors and partners.
We have it on good authority that a segment of the opposition to the leadership of NFF is planning to capitalize on the End SARS protests that the government is in the throes of bringing under control to commit set the NFF Headquarters on fire. These faceless cowards do not need to be told that arson is a criminal offence under Nigerian laws, and their identities are not unknown to us as we have forwarded them to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for action.
We call on them to retrace their steps before it is too late, at which point they will begin to appeal to public sentiments to buy their way out of a crime that was willfully committed against the public interest and the stability of the state. Nigeria at this time does not need any undue inflammation of tensions, but rather needs all and sundry to come together to work with government in addressing the genuine issues that the people face today.
It couldn’t have been too big an ask that we called on all Nigerians to unite around Nigerian interests and to present a common front against our common enemies and this time we are resolved to resist this attempt, as we the era when the selfish interests are superimposed on the larger public, which has led to our country being in her current state, while the country has suffered disrespect internationally even from countries that Nigeria played major roles in their liberation struggles.
We await the result of investigations and commend the security agencies for professionally acting upon intelligence gathered on this matter, and urge them to, in their usually proactive manner ensure that this matter is not allowed to go out of hand. As a group we remain committed to a united Nigeria where grievances are resolved using open, legal and measurable means rather than the scorch earth tactics employed by a cabal that is seeking to take control of the NFF through the backdoor. We urge the Federal Government to continue its efforts at addressing the genuine grievances of the youth of Nigeria, while urging those young Nigerians that are tempted to allow themselves to be used for this treasonable cause to join us in saying “enough is enough”. The process of building the Nigeria of our dreams is one that requires the active participation of each and every one of us as citizens.
PLOY TO COMMIT ARSON AT THE NIGERIAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION: A STEP TOO FAR BY ENEMIES OF NIGERIA
