N950million World Cup Soccer fraud: Nigeria officials on trial; NFF officials sacked, again.
Special to USAfricaonline.com and CLASSmagazine, Houston
Former Nigeria Football Federation president Sani Lulu Abdullahi and three others are on trial today Tuesday September 7, on charges of corruption and mismanagement of funds.
Lulu is joined by former first vice president Amanze Uchegbulam, former executive committee member Taiwo Ogunjobi and former secretary general Bolaji Ojo-Oba.
Nigeria’s anti -corruption body, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have detained all four men in preparation for their arraignment on Tuesday.
EFCC spokesman Femi Babafemi said the suspects would appear before Abuja Federal High Court Judge, Justice D. Okorowa.
Among the charges brought against the four officials are:
•Payment of estacodes/allowances of $800,000 to 220 delegates to the World Cup in South Africa. Only 47 of which were authorised NFF officials
•mismanagement of the N900million World Cup funds;
•purchase of over-inflated luxury buses for the Super Eagles;
•incurring a $125,000 fine in South Africa over a deal with Hampshire Hotel;
•mismanagement of $250,000 to charter a faulty aircraft for the Super Eagles from London to South Africa; and
•spending $400,000 for a friendly match between Colombia and Nigeria in London before the World Cup.
The officials were originally questioned on July 6 by the EFCC.
“We have established some infractions against the officials and they will now be prosecuted for these infractions,” said Femi Babafemi, spokesman for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the country’s anti-corruption agency.
NULLIFIED.
A few hours ago, a Lagos High court nullified the August 26 elections into the executive committee of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) because it was conducted in defiance of a court. “The purported election held into the elective offices of the NFA, trading under the name of NFF, on August 26, 2010, is hereby nullified,” declared Justice Okon Abang.
The court ordered the most senior secretariat staff to take over the NFF.
Prior to most of these developments, shortly after Nigeria’s disastrous performance at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the withdrawal of Nigeria from international soccer competitions. Following FIFA and other pressures, he reversed himself. See related commentary on the issue titled “President Jonathan, shut them down….” By Chido Nwangwu, Publisher of USAfricaonline.com
USAfrica wt reports from wire services/supersport/Sapa/AFP
