* Egbe calls those opposed to the victory as unpatriotic Nigerians
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has described the election of President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, into the council of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) as another positive milestone for Nigeria on the global scale.
Governor Diri in a congratulatory message issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, said with Pinnick, Nigeria put its best foot forward to occupy a top seat in the global football community.
He stated that the NFF president has displayed remarkable passion for football development in Nigeria since assuming office and that he was not surprised that he has continued to excel as a football administrator.
The Bayelsa helmsman, who was one-time Commissioner for Youth and Sports in the state noted that Pinnick’s dedication has earned him a deserved recognition and elevation, urging him not to rest on his laurels.
“Pinnick has shown remarkable passion for football development not only in Nigeria. I therefore congratulate him and Nigeria, which put its best foot forward to ensure he was elected into the FIFA Council. It is a deserved call to further service towards football development in Nigeria, Africa and on the global level,” concludes the governor.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Monimichelle Sports Facility Limited, Ebi Egbe, has berated Nigerians who say there is nothing to celebrate in Pinnick’s membership of FIFA Council.
A former head of Nigeria’s players union, Harrison Jalla, had in a statement said Nigeria was only exporting corruption to the world in Pinnick whom he described as a graduate of ‘Ibori’s school of corruption’.
Egbe while berating Jalla, wondered why some of the nation’s football stakeholders are hell-bent on rubbishing the country and pulling down whosoever rises to the top echelon of world football from the country.
“Jalla is definitely not working in the interest of our dear country. When you criticize constructively we would know…we also know when one is only being jealous, vindictive and unpatriotic. Jalla and his co-travelers no doubt are just being petty and unpatriotic,” Egbe said.
Egbe who is a FIFA licensed match agent said what every Nigerian owe Pinnick now is prayers and total support…the same way we supported other Nigerians that have made it to the top in other global bodies like the United Nation, World Trade Organization, Africa Development Bank, Grammy award winners and of late in the government of Joe Biden out there in the United States.
“For Jalla to see Pinnick’s rise to the top of world football as nothing to celebrate and praying for his downfall is to say the least uncharitable and unpatriotic,” Egbe said.
