The Kebbi Football Association has dismissed allegations of financial misappropriation and poor execution in a FIFA-funded mini-stadium project in Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria. Officials confirm the facility was completed over two years ago and is actively in use for local competitions. The controversy arose after a viral photo on FIFA's social media sparked public outrage.
The Kebbi Football Association (FA) addressed rumors of mismanagement surrounding a mini-stadium project in Birnin Kebbi, funded under FIFA's Forward Programme with approximately $1.2 million. Chairman Alhaji Abubakar Chika-Ladan stated during a press briefing that the project was fully completed more than two years ago and has hosted numerous national and local football competitions.
"There have been several insinuations that the project was not completed or was poorly executed, and that funds were misappropriated by the National Football Federation (NFF)," Chika-Ladan said. "We are here to show the world that the mini-stadium was completed and has been in use since then."
The facility serves as the home ground for Kebbi United Football Club and has attracted teams like Zamfara United. It includes a playing pitch, 250-seat pavilion, medical clinic, dressing rooms, perimeter fencing, landscaping, and maintenance equipment. Chika-Ladan emphasized that FIFA directly handled the project through an international bidding process won by Nigerian firms, ensuring transparency.
National Sports Commission Chairman Shehu Dikko echoed these sentiments on Channels Television's Politics Today, denying any fund misuse. "No one collected the money," Dikko said. "FIFA manages its projects directly. The NFF only provides the land and states what it needs. FIFA then appoints and pays the contractor itself."
Dikko attributed the project's modest appearance to delays—approved in 2015 but contracted in 2020 due to land acquisition issues—and Nigeria's fluctuating exchange rates, which increased costs. He clarified that a viral photo showed only the first phase, fully delivered via public tender.
The controversy intensified when FIFA featured the stadium in a social media banner, leading to calls for investigation. Meanwhile, Nigeria's House of Representatives Committee on Sports has launched a probe into the NFF's handling of FIFA and CAF grants, with the Kebbi project as a focal point.
Sports Writers Association of Nigeria Chairman in Kebbi, Mansur Senchi, urged restraint against spreading unverified claims, calling them detrimental to progress.
