Unending fraud allegations in Nigerian sports

By Steve Alabi
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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) are hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons. Allegations bordering on monumental fraud against the football and athletics eggheads again resurfaced last week. It looks like there have been attempts to sweep things under the carpet but the allegations have refused to die. Most unfortunately, it is the nation that is receiving the bad light.

The NFF top guns have consistently insisted that there is no iota of truth in the allegations that they misappropriated funds delivered to the federation by the world governing body, FIFA. Their accusers have also been unrelenting in putting pressure on the authorities to make them pay. Last week, the NFF President, Mr. Amaju Pinnick and four others were charged to court by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property for allegedly misappropriating $8,400. The money was said to have been paid by FIFA to the NFF as Nigeria’s appearance fees in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup held in Brazil.

In the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/93/2019, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja last Tuesday, Pinnick and the NFF Secretary-General, Sanusi Mohammed, its First Vice-President, Seyi Akinwumi, Second Vice-President, Shehu Dikko and an executive member, Yusuff Fresh were also accused of moving the sum of about N4 billion belonging to the federation without its consent dishonestly and intentionally. They were also accused of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, theft, criminal misappropriation, and failure and neglect to declare their assets.

In the same week, the world athletics ruling body, IAAF reportedly threatened to hit Nigeria with sanctions for not refunding the sum of $130,000 which it mistakenly paid into the account of the AFN two years ago. The sanctions will stop Nigerian athletes from participating in this year’s African Games in Morocco, the World Athletics Championships in Doha, as well as the 2020 Olympics Games in Tokyo. The amount arose when the IAAF mistakenly paid $150,000 to the AFN instead of the $20,000 it pays national federations annually.

The issue has been in the public domain since 2017 when the IAAF made the wrong payment. A letter said to have emanated from its Senior Manager for Governance,  Member & International Relations Department, Jee Isram, puts the issue in proper perspective, “You were informed on 18 March 2018 by our CEO of a payment made by the IAAF to the bank account of your federation on 17 May 2017. A sum of 150,000 US Dollars was transferred by the IAAF of which 130,000 US Dollars were wrongfully credited. We promptly notified you of this over-payment and followed up several written correspondences as well as a meeting with you in November 2017, requesting that you reverse the bank transfer for the overpaid amount to no avail.”

The letter added, “On 28 June 2018, you informed us that the Ministry of Sports was ready to refund 50 percent of that amount and despite several telephone conversations, the amount was still not paid. While we were in Asaba in August 2018 during the African Senior Championships we met with the Minister of Sports and his Permanent Secretary. We discussed about the return of the funds to the IAAF and until today we have not heard anything. We understand that the Minister of Sports will be stepping down soon and it is imperative that you arrange for the return of the full amount within two weeks at the latest. Failure to receive the funds back within that period, we will have no alternative than to apply appropriate sanctions against your Federation.”

While this ignominious situation is playing out in the full glare of the international community, officials are, most regrettably, passing the buck or dodging questions. The Minister of Sports, Mr. Solomon Dalung told an online newspaper, Premium Times, “I only saw the purported letter on the social media and government communication are not done on social media, I only react and work on letters brought to me in my official capacity. If IAAF had written a letter and it is purportedly said my office is mentioned in it, they would send me a copy, if they have not sent me a copy then I think they are only just trying to play politics because they know where my office is and if you are raising an issue that affects a person, you must also give him a copy of the letter. As I am talking to you, I have not seen any copy of the letter even though I have seen the purported letter on the social media but I will not react to a social media letter…The account of the AFN is not controlled by the Ministry of Sports, we are not signatories to it.”

Justice demands that we countenance the Minister’s statement. If it is true that the IAAF has not communicated its letter to the Minister, it should do so in earnest, not minding the fact that protocol demands that it restricts its communication to its affiliate, the AFN. Since the Minister is taking shelter under the excuse that no letter was written to him, and the IAAF needs its money back, it is only meet and proper that the letter be copied to him so as to enable him respond officially. Besides, it will help to clear the image of the nation.

Beyond protocol and procedure, there is need for the government to weigh in on this matter the way it is tackling the NFF allegations of fraud. The IAAF matter is of more serious concern to the nation than the NFF brouhaha. At least, FIFA is not threatening us with fire and brimstone but IAAF is, and justifiably so. The image of Nigeria is at stake. It is enough that some unscrupulous Nigerians tar the country’s image with dirt but the nation itself, nor any of its agencies, must not be found to engage in fraud or any misbehaviour for that matter. Citizens may afford to behave badly but the nation must rise above board in intentions and actions.

There should be no hiding place for criminally minded people in our sports governing bodies. The tax payers money that is allocated to sports must  be protected. Felons parading the corridors of our sports governing bodies must be ferreted out and made to pay the price for their nefarious activities.

The rumours spreading around that some of the accused NFF officials have bolted away may be the sheer imagination of mischief makers. The allegations of fraud are becoming too frequent in Nigerian sports, almost bordering on endlessness. Lest fraud allegations in this critical sector become unending, these allegations must not be swept under the carpet. Where allegations are found to be false, the nation owes the accused apology. There is no smoke without fire. It is also possible that there is no fire at all. But in both situations, justice must be done.