Sanusi denies getting monthly salary in U.S. dollars

Secretary-General of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mohammed Sanusi, yesterday, described as outrageous the media report that he gets his monthly salary in American dollars.

Reports at the weekend said the NFF Secretary General is being paid $10,000 monthly, an amount which the nation’s number one citizen, President Mohammadu Buhari, does not receive.

Refuting the story, Sanusi told The Guardian in a telephone conversation, that he gets his monthly salary in naira, not dollars.

Sanusi, who spoke from Argentina shortly before the Flying Eagles took on Dominican Republic in their first group match of the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup, said: “I don’t know where that person got his report, but I am telling you that I don’t receive a monthly salary in dollars.

“In the first place, I am on contract with the NFF. I have been on contract with the NFF even before the Amaju Pinnick administration. And as a contract staff, I negotiate my salary with the federation at the beginning of each year. My monthly salary should not be any issue for public debate.

“Even If I am being paid $10,000 as a monthly salary, it is personal to me and my employer. If anybody decides to calculate what I am being paid in American dollars, then, he or she should do the calculation based on the official government rate. People should not use the black market rate to calculate my salary,” Sanusi stated.

Sanusi had earlier in an online report, www.bestchoicesports.com.ng, claimed that the report was done out of mischief.

He wondered why those that engineered the report did not go to Morocco, Egypt and Algeria to ascertain how much their general secretaries earn.

“Good morning, gentlemen. I saw this here just now and the response of people. It is painful that we are discussing people instead of issues, but since that is what we want to reduce ourselves to, it is okay. Some people have decided to fight me, not for any reason, but personal and selfish interest.

“What has my salary got to do with infrastructural development? I am on contract, not on permanent and pensionable work, with the right to negotiate my wages, which I did with the NFF Board.

“The question I ask the writer (Mr. Right), has he asked why the coach of Super Eagles earns $70, 000 monthly?   Who is the boss between the coach and the general secretary, who also went to the University to obtained a PhD, who is also a coach (CAF A Licensed), leader of all the general secretaries of African football, a visiting lecturer in Human Kinetics and Health Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (on no payment)?”

Sanusi’s contract with the NFF runs till December 2023. He became NFF General-Secretary in March 2015, replacing Musa Amadu, who resigned on March 18, 2015 following intractable imbroglio with the then NFF President, Amaju Pinnick.