Boluwatife Kehinde
In response to ongoing controversy between the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), the House of Representatives has resolved to establish a special committee to investigate the handling of financial grants totaling $25 million, received by the NFF from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The decision follows widespread discussions triggered by FIFA’s recent social media post featuring the Birnin Kebbi Stadium under the FIFA Forward Programme, which reignited public debate about the facility’s ownership, management, and funding.
During Tuesday’s plenary session, lawmakers Adedayo Adesola (Lagos) and Felix Nwaeke (Rivers) jointly sponsored a motion of urgent public importance titled “Motion to Curb Further Misuse of FIFA and CAF Grants by the Nigerian Football Federation.”
In his remarks, Adesola attributed Nigeria’s declining performance in international football competitions to the alleged mismanagement of grants received from global football bodies.
He recalled that in December 2016, FIFA issued an audit query over the misuse of a $1.1 million development grant, stating that $802,000 of the amount lacked proper documentation. This prompted the then Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, to order an independent audit and demand full accountability from the NFF.
Adesola further noted that between 2018 and 2019, several NFF officials including former President Amaju Pinnick were investigated by the EFCC and ICPC and faced court actions over allegations of financial mismanagement and irregular sponsorship deals.
He cited a recent case involving $1.2 million allegedly used for the construction of a mini-stadium in Birnin Kebbi, currently trending on social media. According to him, an on-site inspection revealed that the stadium was of substandard quality and could not justify the reported expenditure.
Following extensive deliberations, the motion was unanimously adopted by the House, presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas. Consequently, the House resolved to set up a special investigative committee to examine NFF’s financial activities from 2015 to date.
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