Posted by by Oluwole Josiah, Abuja - The Punch on
The sacked management of the Nigeria Football Association has been told to account for the grants amounting to $4.1 million collected from FIFA between 2002 and 2003.
The sacked management of the Nigeria Football Association has been told to account for the grants amounting to $4.1 million collected from FIFA between 2002 and 2003.
Minister of Sports and Social Development, Col. Musa Muhammed, while addressing the new management led by Segun Odegbami on Tuesday in his office, said NFA was yet to account for various funds received from both FIFA and CAF since the tenure of the last management.
According to the minister, NFA collected $3million, $314,000 and $827,000 within the period of 2002 and 2003, but the funds could not be accounted for.
'They said they have used such money to conduct matches and estacodes of officials, while at the same time they were receiving money from the ministry also to prosecute these same matches they are talking about.
'They are yet to tell us what they have received in the year 2004. Till now, we have not received any return from NFA as regards the money received from CAF.
'Only last week, the Head of Department, Finance went to Cairo and collected $50,000. We have been looking for money to send our Under-17 team to Angola, we have been looking for money to send our Under-20 team to Republic of Benin. Each time, we want to send our teams to competitions, we have to go looking for money from government, while monies are being given to them by either CAF or FIFA," he said.
Muhammed also raised the issue of $47,000 used to host the two-man FIFA delegation on the Goal Project, saying that the figure was outrageous.
He said, 'I don't know what type of hotel they put them, even if they are going to put them in a presidential suite of the Hilton Hotel in Abuja, they cannot gulp that amount. The most they can spend is $7,000 to take care of these two people, but to spend $47,000 to host two people."
The minister also made reference to the N50 million Globacom money for League sponsorship, noting that NFA had failed to account for the money.
According to him, 'Each club paid hundred thousand naira as deposits, if you multiply N100,000 by 50, that is N5 million. This deposit is supposed to accrue interest and such money is also supposed to be given to the clubs."
The minister however, said that the sacked NFA management officials has been given some time to prepare their books or would face legal action.