First Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Seyi Akinwunmi, yesterday, said he has a four-point agenda on which his leadership of the Federation will run if he is elected president.
Speaking in Lagos, Akinwunmi promised to give his all to take football to greater heights, adding that he was well-equipped for the job based on his experiences and various positions held in the running of football in the country.
He said: “My programme is hinged on four pillars of football development, developing the business of football, infrastructural development and technological advancement.
“Football development includes grassroots, restructuring of the league, building the women league and training coaches.
“The business of football will receive adequate attention because, without it, we are wasting our time.
“We will make the game profitable to investors so that instead of the usual CSR, they will invest in the game to reap from it.
“Part of our infrastructural development programme is to help people in the grassroots to build facilities in their domains. We will provide avenues for them to reap from their investments.
“We will also institute a housing fund in which players can invest to build their houses.
“Technology will play a great role in our affairs, because it will help us to scout for talents, help build up a data bank, as well as monitor fans in the stadiums to keep match venues safe.”
Akinwunmi acknowledged that many people are vying for the NFF presidency, adding that he has high respects for all the aspirants.
He added, however, “I am well equipped, because from the bottom, I climbed up the ladder with wealth of experiences in various areas of the game. I am ready to bring my all to make the game get better.”
The Lagos Football Association chairman said he has a clear strategy to actualise his 11 strategic actions for the development of the game.
“It is important to think about the schools and the grassroots for us to move forward. We will have national finals, which will see football competitions at the state and zonal levels. The FAs will be empowered in concrete terms to stage events and create competition among the youth.”
Earlier, President of Nigeria Referees Association, Tade Azeez, noted that Akinwunmi had all it takes to take the game to another level in Nigeria.
Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho, who was one of the dignitaries at the event, said the state was proud of the candidature of Akinwunmi and what he stands for in football.
