N17 Billion Audit Order By FG Unsettles NFF As Exco Members Meet On Monday

The Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will on Monday sit to deliberate on the order by the Federal Government to account for the sum of 17 Billion Naira it disbursed to the football federation since 2015 since assumption of Buhari led government.

The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is winding down its activities so as to usher in a new Government led by President-Elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and as such government agencies and parastatals like the NFF have been ordered to render accounts of monies they have received from the outgoing administration.

A letter from Sports Minister, Sunday Dare to the NFF, which ordered for this account, has also been copied to both CAF and FIFA.

Among the various monies that make up this 17 Billion Naira are the FG Intervention Funds for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia as well as those for the 2019 and 2021 AFCONs.

It is on record that the Federal Government paid the NFF over 2 Billion Naira for the Super Eagles participation at the 2018 World Cup.

The NFF received a first payment of 1.5 Billion Naira, which was calculated to take the national team all the way to the quarterfinal of the World Cup in Russia.

However, the Eagles were eliminated at the first round of the tournament.

Also, Federal Government paid for the 100% budget meant for the Super Eagles participation of the 2021 AFCON till the final match but the team crashed out to Tunisia in the second round.

“This oder is giving the NFF a lot of problems,” a top source told www.insideglasshouse.com

“The main contention is that it was not this Board that received these monies, rather it was the immediate past administration led by Amaju Pinnick and as such that should be the Board that ought to account for the monies.”

Another top official said the General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, should be the one to account for the huge financial support the football federation enjoyed from the Government for the past eight years as he has been on both Boards.

“Sanusi should account for these monies as he is the common denominator of both NFF Boards and he is also the Chief Executive of the Secretariat,” he said.

It was further gathered that 800 Million Naira was the only money the present NFF received from the FG and that was between December 2022 and January 2023.

However, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau has refused to be transparent with the debt profile of the federation amid allegations that he has agreed a pact with Pinnick to that effect.

Pinnick did not leave a proper handover file to the current Executive Committee.

The NFF are believed to be in the red to the tune of over Two Billion Naira (N2 billion), which many close watchers of the football federation insist is at best a conservative estimate.