A declaration by the chairman, National Sports Commission (NSC) Shehu Dikko, that the immediate past board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), led by Ibrahim Gusau, got N17 billion from the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, apart from other funding, has continued to generate more reactions from a wide spectrum of Nigerians.
Dikko said a few days ago that the entire money received by the NFF board from 2014 to 2022 (eight years) was N15 billion, but the Ibrahim Gusau-led NFF got a one-time check payment of N17 billion from the President, apart from other allocations.

Dikko, who spoke on national TV, shed light on the chaos at the NFF that triggered the new transformation process in the NFF, saying that the Federal Government gave the Gusau-led NFF more than five times what previous governments gave the football body in eight years. “I warned them very clearly to either do the reforms internally themselves, as required by law, or somebody else will have to do it for them. They didn’t heed the advice,” Dikko stated.

Reacting to Dikko’s revelations, the Chief Executive Officer, Monimichelle Sports Management Company, Ebi Egbe, said that looting and financial mismanagement have been the major issue working against the progress of Nigerian football over the years.

He said: “For our football to grow, those who looted the funds or are found wanting in managing funds allocated to football in one way or the other must face the consequences in accordance with the law.

“So, these people actually collected all this money, including millions of dollars from FIFA and sponsors, without even making a serious attempt to construct a single elite pitch capable of supporting the Super Eagles’ style of play?

“We must make the NFF presidency unattractive by setting a strong precedent for accountability. The money trail never hides. Our next phase is to probe the NFF and demand full transparency over how football funds have been received, allocated, and spent.”

Egbe said that football money is meant to develop football, not to enrich individuals, adding that “looting and financial mismanagement are unacceptable in Nigerian football.”

He said: “Whoever is found wanting must face the consequences in accordance with the law. The era of impunity must end. Nigerian football deserves accountability, transparency, and investment in the infrastructure that actually supports the game.”