The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) autonomy bill is set for final reading at the Senate, Adamu Gumba, Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports, has said.
Gumba told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday that his committee had packaged the bill for final reading at plenary.
"I presented the bill to the Senate; it was read the first and second times and we have conducted public hearing.
"Hopefully, before the end of the year, it will be taken for final reading; so, that is where we are.
"We have done almost everything ready for presentation at plenary and once it is presented, then it will be taken,’’ Gumba said.
The senator also said that both houses of the National Assembly would jointly seat to harmonise the bill before sending it to President Goodluck Jonathan, for assent.
"At the end of the day, we will have a conference of some selected members of both chambers of the National Assembly committees on sports and adopt clauses that are well prepared.
"It is the tradition where you have a bicameral National Assembly.
"Both chambers will have to jointly seat to iron out areas of differences,’’ Gumba added.
Gumba noted that the momentum gathered by football in the country, in recent times, started with the Senate.
He attributed the success at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations to the Senate’s honest criticism of the declining state of sports, especially football, in the country.
Gumba said other benefits that derived from the Senate’s passion for the development of sports included the national retreat on sports hosted by Jonathan with special emphasis on football.
Others are the public hearing on sports and the inspection of the six national stadiums in the country to look at the facilities available.
NAN recalls that the bill has passed first and second readings at the House of Representatives.
A public hearing had also been conducted on the bill.
The proposed law is expected to give NFA powers to pilot its affairs without interference from any quarter.
It will also help to bring peace to the football circle, stop the indiscriminate sacking of elected board members of NFF and re-define who becomes a board member.
The law will also re-define the powers of the board members and management of football in the country.
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