Pinnick Inaugurates LOC, Harps on Hard Work, Diligence and Probity

AISHA BUHARI CUP

President of the Nigeria Football Federation and FIFA Council Member, Amaju Melvin Pinnick, yesterday inaugurated the local organizing committee of the Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Tournament, saying that values of integrity, diligence, hard work, probity and pursuit of excellence should be the body’s watchwords.

“I want to emphasize on the need for this committee to always be conscious of the name attached to this tournament. The name of Mrs Aisha Buhari, First Lady of the Federal Republic, which is attached to this competition stands for decency, uprightness and patriotism. We should organize a tournament that upholds all these virtues and also gives credence to the stature of Nigeria as a nation of intelligent, knowledgeable and enterprising people.

“I enjoin you to work in close collaboration with the Lagos State Government. We will also be doing everything to uphold accountability, so your committee will have to work with NFF’s auditing and financial advisers, PriceWaterHouseCoopers and Financial Derivatives respectively. The NFF and the Nigeria football family expect the best from you. I inaugurate you on behalf of the NFF Executive Committee and the Nigeria Football Congress.”

Pinnick also disclosed that the tournament will be an annual event.

Responding, Chairman of the LOC, Seyi Akinwunmi, assured the NFF Chief that the committee will work assiduously towards raising the needed funds for a successful organization of the tournament, and also put in place a structure that will engender diligence and probity, with close attention to details and accent on proactivity.

“I am enamoured by the calibre of persons in this committee and I have confidence that we will deliver a tournament to be proud of. It is important to use this tournament to create one more positive narrative about our country’s ability to deploy its teeming human and material resources to make a statement.”

The committee immediately appointed Mr Ademola Olajire as the Director of Publicity.