The House of Representatives has announced plans to investigate the alleged mismanagement of $25 million said to have been received by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) between 2015 and 2025. At its plenary on Wednesday, the lawmakers adopted a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Adedayo Adesola (Lagos) and Felix Nwaeke (Rivers), calling for a thorough investigation into how the NFF managed the international football grants.
The motion, titled “Misuse of FIFA and CAF Grants by the Nigerian Football Federation,” raised concerns that years of alleged financial mismanagement within the NFF have contributed to the decline in the performance of Nigeria’s national football teams. The lawmakers said persistent irregularities and lack of accountability in the federation have eroded public confidence and negatively affected the country’s football development.
Adesola recalled that in 2016, FIFA issued an audit query to the NFF over a $1.1 million development grant, noting that $802,000 of the amount lacked proper documentation. He added that this prompted the then Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, to order an independent audit and demand full accounting of funds received and spent.
He further noted that between 2018 and 2019, NFF officials, including the former president Amaju Pinnick, came under public scrutiny and were investigated by the EFCC and ICPC over alleged misappropriation of funds and sponsorship deals.Adesola also cited an alleged $1.2 million grant the NFF reportedly used for the construction of the Birnin Kebbi Stadium, describing the facility as substandard and not reflective of the amount claimed to have been spent.
“One of these funds, the $1.2 million in question, has been trending on social media, as it was allegedly used for the construction of the Birnin Kebbi Stadium,” he said. “We are concerned that an on-site inspection of the stadium revealed a poorly executed project, both in quality and capacity, which cannot justify the $1.2 million reportedly expended by the NFF.”
Source: https://guardian.ng/
