Former governor of Abia and Pillar of Sports in Nigeria, Orji Uzor Kalu has revealed that Nigeria failed in her bid to win a seat in the Executive Committee of CAF because the NSC and NFF failed to involve disgraced executive member, Dr Amos Adamu in the election.Orji made this disclosure when the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) FCT Chapter, paid him a courtesy visit in his residence in Abuja on Tuesday.
It would be recalled that NFF President Aminu Maigari lost the West African Football Union Zone B CAF seat to his Beninoise counterpart, Moucharafu Anjorin who won after a run-off with 37 votes to Maigari’s 19.
“When I was there I bargained the inclusion of Dr. Amos Adamu for CAF President, Issa Hayatou’s election. I told Hayatou then that if he must be President of CAF, a Nigerian must be in the Executive seat too and it worked out then when Adamu was elected” Kalu said.
“These are the kind of things I have been telling you people both the government and the [NFF] are not taking some of us into confidence. We understand CAF, we understand FIFA. If they have anything to do in CAF they should seek our advice because no way a country like Nigeria could have gone into an election and lost woefully like this. If Issa Hayatou must be President of CAF, then a Nigerian must be or should have been an executive member of CAF. So those are the politics they don’t understand.
“When I was there before the election of Issa Hayatou as CAF President I bargained him for Adamu. So Nigeria is playing politics of bitterness. They are thinking that if they use us to better their society we will be better off like them on the electoral process. I know that some people including a section of journalists in this country do not like Alhaji Adamu but he is a goal getter. I can say it anywhere that Amos Adamu is a goal getter but some of you (sports journalists) continue to criticize him but he can deliver. I worked with him and I know him that he can deliver. You must see what is good in somebody and make maximum use of it. Every good thing has a bad part of it and every bad thing has a good part of it. Nobody is a saint and I am not saying I am a saint too.
“I was outside the country when I heard that Nigeria lost [CAF election], I cried. I later called Hayatou and congratulated him. If Adamu was there [Nigeria] will not lose. If the [NFF] and the Sports Minister had consulted me we will not lose. We will hold Issa Hayatou to ransom. Every game has its own language and we know the kind of language to speak to the delegates from both the Francophone and the Anglophone countries and they will put everything on the table and we will become eventual winners,” said Kalu.
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