House Of Reps To Probe NFF Over $25m FIFA, CAF Grants

The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate financial grants from the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), amounting to $25 million.

It also agreed to invite the leadership of NFF to appear before its Committee on Sports with documents showing receipts and expenditures of the grants.

The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Adedayo Adesola from Lagos State and Hon. Felix Nwaeke from Rivers State at plenary on Tuesday.

Moving the motion, Adesola said that the alleged mismanagement of grants from the global football governing body was largely responsible for the poor outings by the various national teams recently.

He noted that in December 2016, “FIFA sent an audit query over the mishandling of $1.1m development grant to NFF and reported that US$802,000 lacked proper documentation, prompting Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, to order an independent audit and asked NFF to account for receipts and disbursements.

“Between 2018 and 2019, NFF officials (including the then President, Amaju Pinnick) faced public criticism and were subject to EFCC and ICPC probes and court actions tied to alleged mismanagement of various funds and sponsorship.

“One of these monies, a $1.2m, is the subject of a news item currently trending on social media, which NFF allegedly used to construct Birnin Kebbi Stadium.”

The lawmaker expressed concern that a physical inspection of the stadium in Birnin Kebbi showed that it was a substandard facility in terms of quality and quantity, which cannot justify the sum of $1.2 million claimed to have been spent on the project by the NFF.

He added that the Kenyan Football Federation used the same amount of the grant to develop a standard and well-equipped facility to further raise eyebrows on the profligacy in NFF.

Adesola said with another African Cup of Nations (AFCON) around the corner and the World Cup play-offs, both involving the Super Eagles of Nigeria, “there is a need to take decisive action on further misuse of public funds by the leadership of NFF.”