Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives yesterday resolved to summon the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the $150, 000 grant from the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
The House also directed its Committee on Sports to investigate the alleged disappearance of the $150, 000 grant and efforts being made to return the money to the IAAF.
This is sequel to a motion by Hon Diri Douye, under matters of urgent public importance at yesterday’s plenary.
Leading the debate on the motion, Douye said the IAAF reportedly paid $150, 000 to AFN, instead of $15, 000, which is the annual grant to member federations in 2017.
The lawmaker said according to reports, the IAAF accountants later discovered the error and demanded a refund of the excess payment.
Douye noted that unfortunately, the money seemed to have disappeared.
He said there are allegations that the money might have been diverted to private pockets and called on the House to look into the matter.
According to him, if the money is not recovered and returned to the IAAF, Nigeria stands the risk of being banned from international competitions.
“It will tarnish the image of this country, if this money is not returned.
“We should do a forensic audit of the AFN account to find out who collected this money, and why it was not refunded,” the lawmaker said.