By Amaechi Agbo

On Saturday, news emerged over a staff of Nigeria Football Federation, NFF who is suffering from an unknown ailment, hospitalised and needed N1.2 million to get treated.

According to the report, the staff identified as Tolu “is struggling very hard to stay alive and that all he needs to actualize this dream is just 1.2m naira.”

The report which first emerged on a famous WhatsApp platform, NSM Rebranded, called on the NFF to come to the rescue of the staff.

The report further expressed worry that the football family has lost some stakeholders and appealed that nothing should happen to Mr Tolu who is said to be one of the longest serving staff at the NFF.

The report is hereunder reproduced:

“DISTRESS CALL ALARM!!!

I just got a distress call and the content of this call has sent jitters down my spines.

A top official, a dedicated member of the NFF secretariat, a staff who has served Nigeria football with due diligence and with total commitment is in a critical condition right now.

I was told that he is struggling very hard to stay alive and that all he needs to actualize this dream is just 1.2m naira.

This is calling on the Nigeria football federation to come to the aid of this staff and to do all they can to save a life. We appeal that they should please rally round to get the funds as we hear that the young man is in a race against time.

He is one of the longest serving members of the secretariat, he is obedient and trustworthy. He has never been involved in controversies and has never instigated any crisis in Nigeria football.

He is indeed a jolly good fellow.

In the last three months, Nigeria football has lost very important stakeholders. We must not lose this man. He is young and vibrant, let’s show him love now that he is still alive.”

In a reaction to the report, the NFF via its Twitter handle @Thenff described the report as a “vicious lie from hell being peddled by devious elements…”

The tweet reads “The attention of @TheNFF has been drawn to a vicious lie from hell being peddled by devious elements, that it abandoned a dedicated member of staff who is in need of surgery.

“Nothing could be farther from the truth. The NFF is aware of the situation of the staff member, has been monitoring his medical state and fully aware and in charge of the surgery requirements.”

It is obvious that the officials and communication managers of the NFF have lost sense of decorum or decided to deliberately engage in a malicious media rant and unbridled denigration of the Public Relations profession.

The choice of words in the said tweet smears of outright hatred, anger towards anything that does not portray the federation in good light.

It portends an embodiment of irresponsibility and rascality in providing clarification over perceived “negative report.”

But then, what could one have expected from a federation that has made reactionary rather than proactive responses to emerging issues its benchmark?

How could one expect a modicum of decorum from a federation that is determined to shutdown opposing views?

A federation that has consistently without shame alluded the rot in Nigeria football to the existence of imaginary “toxic environment?”

Bestchoicesports.com.ng believes that the choice of words in the statement is not only outlandish, archaic and outdated but questions the credibility as well as qualifications of the NFF communication managers.

It is worth stating that the health of a staff in the federation should be given utmost care and attention and for the first story to emerge and then the federation reacts, are indications that all is not well.

We believe that PR management does not warrant such choice of words as shown by the NFF communication department and the rant was in its entirety, a bad PR that damages the brand more than it builds it.