Bring Jos court order to me, minister tells Giwa

Youth and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, yesterday disclosed he was yet to receive the court order, which purportedly sacked the executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) led by Amaju Pinnick.

The minister also challenged the Giwa led group to bring the court order to him if there was any.

Speaking while declaring open the NFF’s extraordinary congress yesterday in Abuja, Dalung said: “As a lawyer and minister of sports till today I have not received any court order… the court order served on me were all dated 2014, I have never received any court order dated 2016. If Giwa’s group has any court order they should bring it to me and as law-abiding citizens we shall do justice to it.

He enjoined the football family to mend fences and unite in order to take the country’s football to a grater height.

“Sadly, many people sited at this congress are mongers, and enemy of this greatest country… and are trying to destroy hard earned relationships maintained over years by members of the football family.
“I want to appeal to all of you sited here today to be sincere in what you are doing if we must move football forward in the country.

“All football stakeholders must go back and put their house in order, and we must move forward what is important is that we need to be focus and give room for reconciliation. I want to urge the Amaju board to gather intelligent people among them to mediate with Giwa’s group to ensure end of crisis in the country,” he said.

Dalung, who arrived the venue by 12.30pm for the event that was scheduled for 10.00 a.m., as usual took a swipe on all stakeholders in the Nigerian football and sports sector before he particularly heaped abuses on journalists.

He said: “I am like a guerilla. I am not afraid of anyone that a woman gave birth to. The more they talk about me, the more I get stronger.

“Some of you here, including the media, shamelessly send text messages and write nonsense. I want to assure you that I am a Guerilla Man. I have never lived in a comfort zone, so I am a stranger to the comfort zone. I can never be threatened.

“I have survived more than five assassination attempts in my life. I am a human rights activist. You don’t gather and begin to drag some people down for selfish reasons. The football family must go back and put itself to order… it is not for me, I don’t elect president or install presidents.”