Sports Minister wants factional NFF to maintain peace

Lagos - The Minister for Youth and Sports Solomon Dalung has appealed to the factional Nigeria Football Federation led by Chris Giwa to maintain peace.

Giwa has reportedly threatened his board will oust the Amaju Pinnick led NFF in January. As a result, there were release in circulation which said Dalung had ordered that the NFF leadership must respect all court orders pending his assumption of office as the Sports Minister.

According to the Special Adviser to the minister, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, Dalung says he has not given any directive for any court order to be respected or flouted.

This followed a release in circulation which said Barrister Dalung had ordered that the NFF leadership must respect all court orders pending his assumption of office as the Sports Minister.

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"Except there are two Ministers of Youth and Sports, I don't know where this statement is coming from but I can tell you that the two warring factions had presented their cases at different times and I'm taking my time to study the issue".

"I urge you to desist from anything that will truncate our preparations for the forthcoming Olympics and make a mockery of the victories recorded so far by the various national teams. The media should also restrain from sensational reportage of non- existing issues that will heighten the tension.

“The NFF leadership is still as we met it on board until this issue is resolved. We shall put all machinery in place to resolve this crisis permanently. I have not given any directive to the contrary until we find a permanent solution to the lingering crisis in the NFF," Dalung said.