Lekan Olaseinde
A sports journalist and managing editor of www.gongnews.com, Jide Fashikun has challenged the sports minister, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, to be man enough to probe the allegedly financial recklessness and corruption allegation leveled against the embattled and impeached Nigeria Football Federation-led by Aminu Maigari and if he fails to take action within 72 hours, he will take the matter to court.
Addressing a cross section of media in the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Abuja yesterday, Fashikun called on Danagogo to be strong, principle and let justice to be done to the impunity of looting the nation’s till unabated by past administration of the NFF board.
Specifically, the former group sports editor of Thisday Newspapers opined that since the court order declaring Maigari’s board illegal has not been vacated by any court of the land it, therefore, remains ‘illegal’ and the onus “lies on the minister to get to the root of the alleged systematic looting of the treasury.”
Specifically, Fashikun is demanding the probe of the followings:
First, the USD2m paid by the Federal Government and the USD8m paid by FIFA for the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa as some players are still complaining that they have not received their share of the participation fees, having played in the qualifiers without playing in the finals. This is a FIFA prescription.
Second, two the USD1m reserved by the Sani Abdullahi Lulu- led board for the furnishing of the Sunday Dankaro House and secretariat of the NFF in the Package B at the National Stadium, Abuja.
Third, the N790m they got for the 2013 Africa Nations Cup Finals.
Fourth, the N170m received for the 2013 Confederation Cup Finals in Brazil and the money paid by FIFA for the same overhead;
Fifth, the USD1.5m grant given by FIFA to prepare the national team, the Super Eagles, for the 2014 World Cup Finals.
Sixth, proceeds from the sponsorship deals with Globacom, Guinness, TomTom, Peak and Adidas paid to them through Pamodzi.
He is also demanding that the N1.288b being the sum of the monthly subvention received from government from January 2013 to June 2014 should be investigated.
Also he wanted the N850m received from government for the preparation and participation of the Super Eagles in the first round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Finals.
“If he does not act, I will be forced to seek the legal means to get things done,” he concluded.
