By Ikeddy ISIGUZO, Chairman Editorial Board

THE present Board of the Nigeria Football Association, NFA, is famous for its greed and guile, but its unpatriotic bearing is the latest acquisition of a self-serving body.

While millions of Nigerians agonise over the chances of the Eagles at the 2010 World Cup, the only concern of the NFA Board is how to return itself to office.

If the NFA has its way, those interested in running for office must present themselves in Durban to collect forms, fill them and submit to the NFA, for elections into the Board of Nigeria’s football apex body.

This is more ridiculous than it sounds. The strategy is simple, only those who can pay their way to South Africa, after the hassles of visa would cross this hurdle.

If they make it that far, they are surely unlikely to get anyone to endorse the forms for them, since the NFA has warehoused all the delegates in Durban, all expenses paid by Nigerians.

It may sound like a fairy tale, but that is the extent of the desperation of the NFA Board to return itself to office by excluding others from the elections. It intends to complete preliminary processes for the election during the World Cup in South Africa.

NFA makes a song of a FIFA ban for interference each time it is called to order. What is wrong if FIFA bans us and we re-structure our football?

This is how absurd it gets – Nigeria has a crucial game against Argentina on Saturday. The NFA would spend its stay in South Africa on election matters, elections that would be held after the World Cup.

Why the desperation? This is where the patriotism of the NFA comes into question. The National Sports Commission delayed release of the report of the probe into the $236,000 stolen from an office cabinet at the NFA because it thought it would distract the preparations for the World Cup. For the same reason, it cancelled a football seminar it planned for last March.

On the other hand, the NFA Board wants to secure its future before the World Cup begins because it believes the Eagles do not have a chance at the competition. It fears the performance of the Eagles, the bungled accommodation arrangements, and the hefty fine of $125,000 Nigeria is paying for defaulting in the accommodation contract, the stolen $236,000 would mangle its chance at the elections.

To forestall this, it wants to conclude all the preliminaries of the elections such that whatever happens with the Eagles, only candidates pre-qualified in South Africa can run.

It has other reasons for placing self over national interests. Most of the so called State FA Chairmen do not meet requirements of the Statutes that they have to be elected by delegates from the States’ football districts and that the composition of State FAs must reflect geo-political considerations of each State.

Article 21 (5) of the NFA states, “State Executive Committee: a) Each State Football Association shall be composed of twelve (12) persons, four (4) elected from each senatorial district made up as follows: Chairman, 2 Vice Chairmen, 9 Ordinary Members b) All the above officers shall be elected at the Annual General Assembly of the State Football Association”.

No State meets these criteria as State FAs are appointed, not elected, and do not reflect the geo-political and democratic opportunities of the NFA Statutes. The NFA Board wants to remain in office by using unqualified delegates.

This pales to nothingness compared to the unpatriotic instincts of these Nigerians who are in South Africa for their interests under the guise of superintending Nigeria’s concerns at the World Cup.

It is important that the National Sports Commission stops all processes leading to the election immediately. The elections should not hold without appropriate state congresses to install State FAs that meet requirements of Article 21 (5). It is equally crucial that the National Assembly takes a keener interest in where the NFA gets the money it spends so wantonly on itself.

This NFA Board has the notorious distinction of making a show of operating above the law expecting to always get away with it always. The same notoriety has led it to put the electoral processes beyond the reach of other Nigerians, who under the law have every right to aspire to these positions.