The Chairman of the Kebbi State Football Association, Alhaji Abubakar Chika-Ladan, has refuted claims of fund misappropriation and poor execution of the FIFA Mini-Stadium project in the state. Speaking with journalists in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday, Chika-Ladan stated that contrary to reports circulating on social media, the project was completed over two years ago and has been in use since then.
“There have been several claims that the project was either incomplete or poorly executed, and that funds were misused by the Nigeria Football Federation. We are here to show that the mini-stadium was completed and has remained functional,” he said. He added that the facility has hosted numerous football tournaments, both at the state and national levels, noting that Kebbi United Football Club used it as its home ground during the last football season.
“Zamfara United has also relocated to Kebbi to use the facility. The rumours being spread are entirely baseless. Those peddling such lies are enemies of progress and of the country,” Chika-Ladan said. He explained that the project was directly supervised by FIFA, which selected both the contractor and consultant through an international competitive bidding process won by Nigerian firms.
According to him, the project, valued at 1.8 million US dollars (approximately N400 million at the time), covered the construction of the playing pitch, a 250-seat pavilion, a medical clinic, dressing rooms for teams and officials, perimeter fencing, landscaping, and maintenance equipment. He noted that the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mr. Shehu Dikko, had already given a detailed clarification on how the project was implemented.In his remarks, the Chairman of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) in Kebbi, Mr. Mansur Senchi, urged the National President of SWAN, Mr. Isaiah Benjamin, to caution those spreading misinformation about the project.
“It is unacceptable for someone to sit elsewhere and fabricate false reports. We will no longer tolerate such behaviour,” Senchi warned.The mini-stadium project in Birnin Kebbi, funded under FIFA’s Forward Programme, has faced criticism over its appearance and value. Public attention intensified when FIFA used an image of the facility on its social media banner, sparking outrage and calls for an investigation.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, reiterated that FIFA—not the Nigeria Football Federation—handled the mini-stadium project directly.Speaking on Channels Television’s *Politics Today* on Friday, Dikko dismissed corruption allegations against the NFF, stating that “no one collected the money.”
He explained that FIFA directly oversees all its projects, while the NFF’s role is limited to providing land for construction. “I was the first to deliver a FIFA Goal project in Nigeria, so I understand how it works. FIFA manages its projects directly. The NFF’s responsibility is simply to provide the land and indicate what is needed. Ultimately, FIFA appoints and pays the contractor to execute the agreed work,” Dikko said.
Source: https://punchng.com/
