Former Gombe State Football Association chairman Alhaji Gara Gombe has accused the Nigeria Football Federation of longstanding financial mismanagement of FIFA and CAF funds since 1986, urging an expanded investigation beyond the House of Representatives' current focus on $25 million from 2015 to 2025. National Sports Commission chairman Shehu Dikko defended the federation by clarifying that FIFA directly managed a controversial $1.2 million mini-stadium project in Birnin Kebbi without NFF involvement in the funds. The debate highlights ongoing scrutiny of sports funding accountability in Nigeria.
Alhaji Gara Gombe, former chairman of the Gombe State Football Association, criticized the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and related bodies for decades of alleged financial irregularities during a recent appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily. He welcomed the House of Representatives' decision to audit $25 million in FIFA and CAF funds received by the NFF between 2015 and 2025 but called for a broader probe extending to 1986. “I thank the Federal House of Representatives for waking up from their slumber,” Gara said. “This matter of accountability... has been a recurrent issue. Many of us have been shouting for over 25 years calling for accountability.”
Gara cited a past FIFA audit revealing over $800,000 unaccounted for by the NFF, alleging officials withdrew the funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria, exchanged them at the black market, and failed to report the proceeds. He further claimed the NFF donated ₦25 million to the burial committee of a serving minister's wife shortly after the audit. Describing corruption as a “complete chain of conspiracy” involving the National Assembly, Presidency, Ministry of Sports, and NFF, Gara noted that former federation presidents have built factories and mansions without scrutiny. He advocated investigating all 28 to 30 sports federations and the Nigerian Olympic Committee, pushing for reduced government funding and increased private sector involvement to enhance accountability.
In response to related allegations, Shehu Dikko, chairman of the National Sports Commission, addressed the $1.2 million Birnin Kebbi mini-stadium project under FIFA’s Forward Programme during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday. Dikko emphasized that FIFA managed the project directly, with the NFF only providing land and specifications. “No one collected the money,” he stated. “FIFA manages its projects directly. The NFF’s role is only to provide the land and specify the project needs. FIFA handles procurement and payments to the contractor.”
Approved in 2015 when $1.2 million equated to about ₦300 million, the project faced delays due to land acquisition issues, with construction starting in 2020 after public procurement. Dikko clarified that a 2023 FIFA social media image showing an unfinished structure represented only the first phase, amid public outrage over the facility's appearance. He attributed perceptions of underfunding to Nigeria's fluctuating exchange rates.
Gara expressed skepticism that the House probe might be a “witch hunt” targeting former NFF president Amaju Pinnick but pledged support if it prioritizes genuine accountability. The House Committee on Sports has made the Kebbi project a key focus in its investigation into NFF grant management.
