By Luminous Jannamike, Abuja

Barrister Paul Edeh, the President of Ratels Sports Development Foundation (RSDF), has announced his candidacy for the position of Chairman in the upcoming Benue State Football Association (FA) election.

He recently obtained his nomination form and shared his intentions with stakeholders, mainly the chairmen and secretaries of various Local Government Areas (LGAs), during an event in Makurdi.

Barrister Edeh explained that his bid to lead the Benue FA is based on his competence and dedication to promoting grassroots football development.

As the sponsor of the state FA football league in previous years, he also highlighted his impressive track record in football development across different regions of the country.

He said, “I’m not in the race to exploit the system but to make endearing impact. Our incumbent chairperson has been very visionary about football development and it’s my desire to advance her impactful steps in next dispensation.

“I have come to serve and not to be served. I have come to collaborate with stakeholders to move football forward. My regular thoughts and how a progressive model should be is that football development run from bottom to top.

“Benue from ages has budding talents in various communities and it’s our duty to fish them out. We will work with referees and coaches as well as others by organising refresher trainings, just as we encourage many to attend courses that will help them improve themselves in their chosen vocation and profession.

“Football all over the world has become big business. The federal government having this understanding recently came up with the 10-year football master plan and it’s our responsibility to find creative ways to uplift football in Benue state.

“Most of you may not be aware that the current drive of the Nigeria Football Federation is anchored towards grassroots football development. This means that all the attention is focused on you being administrators at the local councils, as the core anchor of football development.”

Responding, most of the chairmen and secretaries from the LGAs who expressed satisfaction with the vision and capacity of Barr. Edeh assured of their readiness to give him full support.

The meeting was preceded with the formal inauguration of elected chairmen of all local government football councils in Makurdi.

During the inauguration, the incumbent Chairperson of Benue State FA, Rt. Hon. Mrs. Margaret Icheen, advised the new chairmen and their board to prioritize football development in their respective domains.

Expressing her concern over a recent petition filed by some individuals who claimed that former local football council boards had been given four years in office, Mrs. Icheen discouraged taking football-related issues to conventional courts.

She urged anyone who felt aggrieved to always explore internal dispute resolution mechanisms, stating that resorting to conventional courts could result in sanctions.

Regarding her decision to step down, the FA Chairperson explained that she wanted to provide someone else with the opportunity to develop football in the state, as she did not believe in holding onto a position for too long..