By Amaechi Agbo

On Saturday last week, former Super Eagles defender, now a pastor, Taribo West threatened to embark on striker against alleged corruption rocking the Nigeria Football Federation but in a swift reaction, possibly to silence the vocal pastor, the Nigeria Football Federation has appointed him a member of its Technical Study committee, Bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.

The former Inter Milan defender said that just as the #Endsars protest that called for reform of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, the protest against Nigeria’s football governing body is intended to put an end to the corruption within the system.

“We are going to protest against those that have hijacked our football system,” Taribo West told The Punch.

“Everything happening #EndSARS in the Nigerian system must also affect the football house. People with integrity must run the football house because money that has been siphoned, embezzled & mismanaged can’t be quantified.

Work of God is in my spirit, but football is in my blood. I’ll lead a protest against the mismanagement of funds in Nigerian football,” the Atlanta Olympic gold medallist added.

But on Monday in a curious move that has generated condemnation and viewed as a calculated attempt to silence Pastor West by stakeholders, the NFF Named Taribo West as a member of its 16-member Technical Committee.

The committee which is headed by Dr Alex Mana also has other ex-internationals, Friday Ekpo, Sam Sodje, Etim Esim as well as Jude Anyadifu as members.

Nigeria’s foremost sports journalist and Senior Advocate of Journalists, Adewale Ajayi questioned the rational for inclusion of Taribo West in the committee.

“So Taribo West threatened that he will start another ENDSARS PROTEST they now gave him a committee appointment to silence him? Why?” he queried.

Another commentator of WhatsApp also added in Pidgin English “Dem also give Etim Esin wey don nearly kee (kill) them for facebook.”