The Nigeria Football Federation, (NFF) has denied financial corruption allegations levelled against it by Mr James Peters, former Super Falcons Coach and one time NFF Technical Director in a petition released to the media.
The SA Media to the Minister of Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, on July 6, 2018, made a public release that EFCC has commenced corruption allegations against the NFF management and leadership namely, Amaju Pinnick, Shehu Dikko, Seyi
Akinwunmi, Ahmed Fresh and Sanusi Mohammed.
In a- three page press release made available to the Sun titled Re: EFCC commences corruption investigation on Amaju, Dikko, others, the NFF and its leadership denied any wrong doing.
According to Hon (Dr) Suleiman Yahaya Kwande, Chairman, NFF Media Committee, “it is the work of anarchists bent on exploiting the naivety of some Nigerians to achieve their clandestine objectives, which is to subterraneous instigating the forceful and illegal removal of the executive committee of the NFF, in pursuit of their inordinate and reckless ambition.”
He stated that till date, the leadership of NFF has not been invited by any anti – corruption or, indeed, any agency of government to explain the allegations contained in the said petition, or even called upon to give an account of its stewardship.
“Discerning Nigerians would observe that these disgruntled elements within the football community have made it a point of duty to instigate ‘crisis’ after every World Cup against the leadership of NFF. For example in 22005/2006, NFF President then, Ibrahim Galadima was accused of all sorts, including even treason… In 2010.
NFF President Sani Lulu and his colleagues were accused of all sorts of fabricated wrong doings and arraigned before the Federal High Court for corruption … in 2014, NFF President Aminu Maigari was accused of similar wrong doings and harassed with several ‘expert orders obtained against his tenure
The recent happenings of 2018 are nothing but the orchestrated re rehash of these previous unfortunate patterns that ultimately did nothing but to take our football backwards and, regrettably, scare away genuine sponsors and partners…’’