Many Nigerians have continued to express concerns over how millions of naira and or dollars accruing to the football federation were not properly accounted for as they were either misappropriated or diverted into personnel accounts by the past and present administrations.
During the reign of Aminu Maigari as NFF president, his predecessor, Sani Lulu, continuously challenged the authorities concerned to compel Maigari to account for the N2.8 billion he left in various accounts of the federation. He lamented that he has no reason to go through the humiliating court trial that has lingered for more than five years.
According to Lulu; “ the truth is that approximately N2.8 billion was left in the various accounts as at the time of my impeachment. The amount in question includes $8m, about N1,248,000,000 equivalent at the time, $5.5m, about N858,000,000; while funds in the FIFA account was put at $1.65m, about N257,4000,0000, the NFF money available in UBA and Afribank was N430,0000,000.”
Old tale
When the resentful members of the Maigari board rolled the drum of impeachment against him, they levied several chronicled fraudulent charges, accusing him of involvement in mismanagement, misappropriation of fund, alleging high-tech and colossal fraudulent acts.
Lamentably, no one was tried, indicted, or convicted as they bow out of the Glass House honourably and dishonourably in unblemished manner. However, with the FIFA fraud scandal breeze blowing very hard across the world, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel concerning the hue and cry of many Nigerian soccer enthusiasts.
EFCC steps in
While others walked out of the hook, the dancing step seems to have changed as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) last month swung into action over multiple questionable breached contracts for the furnishing of the new secretariat of the football federation, the Sunday Dankaro Football House.
Furnishing fraud
For two financial years running, the NFF captured the furnishing of the Sunday Dankaro Football House in the budgetary request it sent to the budget office of the Federal Ministry of Finance, appropriating the sum of N144 million as capital project. Incidentally, the federal government failed to release the money to the Glass House.
During this year’s budget defence at the National Assembly, the president of the football federation, Mr. Pinnick Amaju, had told the Sports Committees of both chambers that his board had taken delivery of N50m from the immediate past governor of Akwa-Ibom State, now Senator Godswill Akpabio, as alternative arrangements it exploited to source for fund for the furnishing.
Blaming the delay in the commencement of the project on the awaited response from the office of public procurement, he however assured that work would soon commence at the building.
Fraud everywhere
Abuja Metro investigations can reveal that one of the major factors that resulted in forcing the immediate General Secretary of the football federation, Barr Musa Amadu, to resign was not unconnected with the intrigues concerning award of the contract for the furnishing of the new secretariat.post by expdonaloaded.blogspot.com...
Our impeccable source at the federation that explained what actually transpired told Abuja Metro in confidence that Amaju allegedly saw the past General Secretary as a serious threat for insisting on following due process.
“When the fund for the 2014 FIFA World Cup participation finally hit the account of the federation, the president had invited bid from furnishing companies. He selected the company he brought. He ordered Amadu to commence the process of the award of the contract and subsequent release of money for the furnishing, but Amadu, from our findings had insisted that due process must be followed.
“When Amadu failed to yield to this pressure, Amaju conceded and ordered him to write formally to the Bureau of Public Procurement requesting for waiver since the fund for the project was not sourced directly from the federal government. He relied on the precedence the Maigari led board adopted in the FIFA Goal project built in his home state, Bauchi, but unfortunately the federal government refused to grant such waiver for the secretariat furnishing.
“That was the last disappointment because Amaju accused Amadu of sabotage, insisting that heaven would not have fallen if they had gone ahead to award the contract without asking for waiver from the Bureau of Public Procurement.
“The NFF piled pressure on Amadu, forcing him to resign. His departure provided the opportunity managers of the federation longed for especially in the award of contracts to spend the FIFA 2014 World Cup handout,” our source alleged.
New secretariat sleaze
Initially the valuation for the new secretariat furnishing contract was N144 million and for two years running, the football federation captured it in its annual budget under capital expenditure items. It was based on this estimation that the federation made the request of N50 million to then Governor Godswill Akpabio.
However, from the available records, after the resignation of Musa Amadu, the federation awarded the contract, retaining the interior decoration company, Valeriano Interiors, a company the NFF managers fronted for the contract, and awarded the contract at N175,914,268.70 with furnishing alone captured at $418,522.88 or N75,358,319.00 then.
Covering their tracks
“The award did not only breach the CBN monetary policy of awarding contract in foreign denomination, but equally exceeded the statutory contract amount NFF can award. To circumvent the rule, the federation split the contract award into three parts – furnishing, cladding and renovation,” our source noted.
According to the correspondence made available to Abuja Metro, the letter signed by one Aristotle Obi Nwosu on behalf of Valeriano Interiors, sent and received by the federation on June 5, requested for price variations, painted a clearer picture of the full details of the contractual transactions.
The letter, subtitled ‘application for price variation on the furnishing contract for the secretariat due to the current value of naira’, read in part: “We would like to apply for a review in price due to the devaluation of naira. The contract was awarded to us at the sum of $418,522.88 (N75,358,319.00) when the dollar exchange was at N180/$1. The current exchange is now at N218/$1 which has increased the naira valuation. We hereby use this medium to request that the difference of N15,909,188 be made to us.”
Fund release
To confirm the full details of the underhand dealings in the release of the fund for the contract, the federation expedited action, acted on the letter it received on the same June 5 and raised a memo on the contract.
The memo from the General Secretary, Dr. Sanusi Mohammed, to the federation boss, Pinnick Amaju, on the subject subtitled; ‘Renovation/furnishing of NFF (Sunday Dankaro House), provided more details of the contract.
It read partly: “I draw your attention to the approval given by the NFF Board for renovation/furnishing of NFF office (Sunday Dankaro). Earlier on, the contractor submitted a quotation as follows: (A) Quotation for the furnishing of the new NFF Secretariat – N75,359,310. (B) Quotation for the wall cladding of the New Secretariat – N35,693,889. (C) Quotation for the renovation of the New Secretariat – N34,197,105. Grand total – N145,250,304.00
“Now, they have submitted another new quotation arising from the devaluation of naira as follows: (A) Variation on the furnishing – N15,909,189.57 (total now-N91,268,499.57. (B) Variation on the wall cladding – N7,535,376.57 (total now- N43,229,255.57. (C) Variation on the renovation – N7,219,388.96 (total now-N41,416,484.56. Grand total now – N175,914,268.70.”
“The memo therefore is to request for approval to pay base on the variation and also for approval to mobilize the contractor to start work on wall cladding of the office to the tune of N43,229,265.57,” the memo raised and signed by the chief scribe of the federation detailed.
Doubtful deal
The suspicion concerning the contract was not just the deliberate attempt to inflate the total sum but also the modus operandi for the award and expeditious release of money for the payment.
Our source that doubted the sincerity of the dealings argued that: “A critical analysis of the transaction revealed so much suspicion. Imagine the variation request letter got to the federation on June 5, a memo was raised the same day, approval of the price variation and release of the sum of N38,906,339.01 as the full payment for the wall cladding after tax deductions made that same day.”
“As you can see from these correspondences, although the memo from the General Secretary described it as mobilization fee, the payment for the full amount of the contract sum of N43,229,265.57 for the project that has not been completed should raise more suspicion and question.
“According to payment voucher number 288, the federation raised on the same June 5, while VAT took N2,161,463.28, WHA took the same five percent of N2,161,463.28 of the total amount, leaving a balance of N38,906,339.01 for Valeriano Interiors. Can all these be coincidence?” our source argued.
EFCC steps in
Speaking further, our source noted that those deeply involved in the contract have been invited by the EFCC.
He said: “I can authoritatively inform you that EFCC has invited one management staff and a member of the NFF executive committee for questioning.”
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