Alhaji Abdullahi Sani Lulu is a sports administrator whose philanthropic gesture to talented young footballers to excel in both education and sports has seen over 100 benefiting from his scholarship programme from secondary school to university level.
He was the President of the Nigeria Football Federation and the proprietor of FOLSA Academy based in Karshi in the Federal Capital Territory.
He was born in Zaria, Kaduna State on April 16th, 1958 and he is from Kogi State. He is a Muslim and happily married. He attended Federal Government College Warri, Delta State between 1971 and 1976. He completed his IJMB in the School of Basic Studies Zaria from 1976-1977 and proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University Zaria where he bagged his degree in Quantity Surveying in 1980. He finished his mandatory National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) at the University of Port Harcourt as a Quantity Surveyor between 1980 and 1981.
Lulu joined the Federal Capital Development Authority Abuja, Public Building Department as Qunatity Surveyor 11 on August 6th 1981 and rose to the rank of Chief Quantity Surveyor in 1996.
His sojourn into the sports world began in 1997 when he was appointed as Assistant Director, Quantity Surveyor in the FCT Sports Council and rose to become the Director of Sports in 2004, a position he held till April 2013. Between December 1999 and July 2002 he served as 2nd and 1st Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), he became the president of the association in August 2006 before he was exited in 2010.
Lulu was the chairman of Local Organising Committee for the FIFA World U-17 Championship in Nigeria from 2008-2009 while serving the country his plans for the development of the game was nurtured as he was able to establish one of the best football schools in the country today, the FOSLA Academy, Karshi, Abuja.
The Kogi born administrator is a member of many professional bodies. He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Institute of Cooperate Administration of Nigeria, International Centre for Proficiency and member, Registered Council of Quantity Surveyor and Nigerian Institute of Management. He had his managerial training in ASCON – Diploma in Project Management Topo Badagry, Lagos, November 1985, The English FA, London – International Football Administration Workshop October 2002, RIPA International, London – Managing and Leading Strategic Change, November 2005 and University of Ibadan – Ibadan – Workshop on Managing Change, May 2006.
He is a Co-Founder of Pioneer Football Club the first Registered Football Club in FCT 1982, Team Manager, Pioneers Football Club & FCDA F/Club Abuja 1983-1988, Patron, FCDA Football Club 1987 to 2002, Board Member & Chairman, FCT, Football Association 1991 to 1995.
He was a member of LOC to 14th National Sports Festival in May 2004, member, Nigeria Football League Board (NFL) January 2005 to 2006, Chairman, Referees Committee (NFL) January 2005 to 2006, Chairman, Nigerian Football Association (NFA) August 2006 to 2008, he was made President of the Nigeria Football Federation from July 2008 to July 2010, member CAF Sub-Committees Inter Club, CHAN and Club Licensing 2006-2015 and member FIFA Sub-Committee on Beach/Futsal 2008-2010.
As a non-career trained officer as Director of Sports in the FCT, Lulu was able because of his passion to transparently transform the council to an enviable height of stability and achievement.
While serving at the NFF and for the first time in Nigeria football history, he was graciously and democratically elected in accordance with FIFA/NFF approved statutes as Chairman of the Federation on 28/08/2006. And subsequently, his led NFF Board set out to pursue the implementation of their vision “Using the Power of Football to create a better future for Nigerians,” by overhauling, redirecting and re-engineering the New NFF team, towards actualizing the following unique and laudable achievements among so many.
He inherited an empty treasury with a debt of over N300 Million which was settled; the Federation participated in all the nine FIFA categorized female/male tournament finals within the 4 years tenure. A feat probably equaled by only Brazil in the world. The National team, The Super Eagles were rated 9th Best in the world, 2nd to only our 1994 5th rated Team.
He fulfilled virtually all campaign promises made which include, Youth Development Programmes and for the first time introduced the payment of total sum of N18.5 Million annual grant to 36 States and FCT Associations.
As at the time he left office, the total sum of N2.8 Billion was left in NFF various accounts by his NFF Board.
His pet project the FOSLA Academy, in continuation of his vision of creating better future for Nigerians through sporting activities, a FOSLA Academy in Karshi, Abuja was established in 2010 as a boarding school, to create a platform for his sponsorship of indigent students to pursue secondary and tertiary education while ensuring development of their skills in the chosen sports/games.
The populations of over 100 students have about 80 percent sponsored students.
He has transparently, dedicatedly and with utmost commitment and loyalty rendered services in various official positions. It is on record that because of his prudent management of scarce resources and anti-corruption profile, that he was illegally impeached from office as President of NFF in July 2010 and since then have continually and publicly reiterated my position to Government and Nigerians, though he has been given a clean bill of health by the Court following his acquittal and discharge by the Court.
Many of the students who benefited from his scholarship are studying in his Academy and many Universities across the country.
