The intractable crisis within the Akwa Ibom State football family has attracted the attention of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), as the nation’s supreme governing authority for the game has now constituted a Normalization Committee to run the affairs of the State Football Association.
In a letter by NFF’s Deputy General Secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme on Thursday, the NFF appointed Honourable Emma Ebe as Chairman of the Committee, with Honourable Iboro Udom, Chief E. E. Ebito, Justice Udousoro and Hon. Patrick Ifon as members while the Secretary of the State FA will serve as secretary to the Committee.
“This is to inform you that in line with the decision of the Executive Committee at its meeting held in Abuja, FCT on 13th May, 2015, and guided by Article 85 of the Nigeria Football Federation Statutes, the NFF has constituted a Five-man Normalization Committee in place of the Board of Akwa Ibom State Football Association which tenure ended since 28th February, 2015.”
A member of the NFF Executive Committee, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau explained at a meeting he had with stakeholders of the game in Akwa Ibom on Tuesday, it was established that the outgone executive Board of the State Football Association failed to address serious complaints tabled in several petitions to it by stakeholders.
“It was also a fact that nobody from the Nigeria Football Federation was in Akwa Ibom to supervise the so-called elections that were conducted on 28th February, 2015, and without any effort to address the complaints raised. As far as the NFF is concerned, there was no election in Akwa Ibom State and the situation in that State has fully warranted the constitution of a Normalization Committee.”
