Galdima smiles last, at last

December 29, 2005 controversial NFA chairmanshiop elections winner, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima has at last got his mandate to serve as the nation's football house's executive man, sealed by the sports ministry... thanks to the maturity with which some Nigerians handled the situation and the steadfastness of the global body in charge of the game in clinging to their words as their bond.

Federation of International Football Associations had from the onset, decreed that, the December 29, 2005 elections, which got Galadima relected, should be allowed to be.

But the Sports Ministry, that could not, either by omission or commission stop the elections from holding, had been unyielding in their resolve not to give Galadima the government's seal of approval.

After a series of meetings some aborted, both parties came to a compromise to let the Galadima body be...but this was not until FIFA threatened to sanction the country and the Federal Government too, issueing a two-week ultimatum for the impasse to be resolved or face the music.

Now all is well and reports reaching nigeriasports.com had it that, calm has at long last returned to the nation's soccer house with the resolution of the crisis yesterday (Wednesday, May 24, 2006).

"Yeah, all is now well and the NFA offices have been opened to the Galadima-led board. We however hope to resume full scale operations on Monday. It had been a tiring and thorny period...but we thank God that all is now over," our Abuja source told nigeriasports.com on phone today.