Giwa returns to take over at NFF secretariat

Self-acclaimed factional president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Chris Giwa, was on Friday back at the Glass House secretariat to take control of the country’s football headquarters.

However, while the account from the NFF through the head of its communication department, Ademola Olajire, said Mr. Giwa was repelled even though he and his group adopted violent means, the Giwa camp insisted it was now in control after peacefully moving in on Friday as backed by the law.

“Staff members of the Nigeria Football Federation on Friday stood stoically against an attempt by Chris Giwa and members of his group to take over the offices of the football ruling body,” the statement from Mr. Olajire began.

It continued: “Giwa and his group, who continue to claim they have a ‘court order’ to take over the NFF, had arrived in a convoy of cars at the period that some of the members of Staff around had gone for the Friday Jumat service. They drove into the premises around 2pm.

“In their typical ‘steal in’ manner, Chris Giwa led Effiong Johnson, Sani Fema, Rumson Baribote, Ben Agary, Yahaya Adama, Jide Fashikun, Fatai Olayinka, Abdulazeez Mohammed and a number of thugs to the Glass House when only a couple of management staff were around.

“They met the entrance door locked, and fiercely broke it down with accompanying thugs. The group swept into the office, and with the unruly cohorts, started to harass members of staff.

Olajire stated that with the help of the Police, Giwa and his group were dislodged.

However in the account by the Giwa group, it claimed staffers of the Glass House welcomed it into the complex.

“I just came here to say it’s a new dawn for Nigerian football, an all inclusive regime that we will run together”, Giwa was quoted as saying while addressing the secretariat staff and journalists.

Giwa assured that as a law-abiding citizen, he had to wait for the Nigerian law to take effect before resuming office as NFF President.

He denied that his team broke into the NFF Glass House.

“The media was here, fully represented, security agencies were on ground to supervise a court order, so why do we need to break into any office for effective control. That is a lie from those concerned and we have already made our reaction to relevant security agencies and those concerned should be answering questions soon.”

Giwa, Johnson, Adama, Fema and Muazu Suleyman were recently slammed with a five–year ban by the NFF, which the Confederation of African Football (CAF) extended to the continent on May 26.

There has been a long tussle for the leadership of the NFF between Amaju Pinnick and Chris Giwa and despite several peace meetings, the most recent being by the House of Representatives, the crisis has remained unresolved.