N850m sponsorship: Globacom boss, Jameel, faces EFCC tomorrow

Mohammed Jameel

Mohammed Jameel, the Chief Operating Officer of Globacom Nigeria Limited, one of the nation’s telecommunications giants, will tomorrow morning in Abuja be appearing before the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the controversial four-year sponsorship of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL)’s N850m fee.
President of the National Association of Nigerian Footballers, Harrison Jalla, had dragged the company before the anti-graft agency over the management of the money after a court judgement had been delivered which was compromised by the parties.
Tunji Babalola, the scribe of the NPL was last Thursday served with the letter of invitation to appear and also shed some light on what he knows about the now controversial N850m.
According to his letter of petition to the EFCC, Jalla had insinuated that “on the 2nd of December 2006 the Nigerian Football league a department of the Nigeria Football Federation a body not known to law entered into a sponsorship agreement with Globacom Ltd.
The agreement has a four-year duration that is to run from 2006/2007, 2007/2008, 2008/2009, 2009/2010 football seasons.  The total sponsorship fees is N3,593billion.
The Sponsorship fees was to be disbursed in this order:-

1. 2006/2007 Football Season   -        787,350,000.00
2. 2007/2008 Football Season   -        856,880,000.00
3. 2008/2009 Football Season             -        932,880,000.00
4. 2009/2010   Football    Season      _       1,016,733,000.00

Globacom met three football season’s obligation and refused to pay the 2009/2010 sponsorship fees.
The Nigeria Football League under the Chairmanship of Chief Oyuiki Obaseki sued Globacom for a breach of contract in Suit No: LD/451/2010 and got judgment in favour of the Nigeria Football League.  The judgment sum against Globacom is N922million.
Jalla accused the NFF officials of having entered into connivance with three Globacom officials: Mohammed Jameel C.O.O., Mr. Adewale Sangowawa (Executive Director) and Mrs. Gladys Talabi (Executive Director) after collecting gratification from Globacom prevailed on the acting Chairman Alhaji Shehu Gusau and the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Football league Mr. Tunji Babalola and entered into a fraudulent compromise of the  original judgment sum of  N922,283,000.00 and received N350million from Globacom which they shared amongst themselves.
He added, “all this conspiracy was behind the back of the NFL lawyer Chief Emma Oboh who fought and won the judgment sum and got garnishee order against Globacom.”
He further alleged that, “they criminally proceeded to cover their tracks by entering into a fraudulent terms of compromise of the judgment that is not backed by any pronouncement of a superior court of competent jurisdiction.”
He then asked the EFCC, “to investigate the fact contained in this  petition, retrieve  the sum of  N850,000,000 (Eight Hundred and Fifty Million Naira only) from Globacom  for  onward  transmission to  the beneficiaries of the sponsorship the Nigeria  players in the premier league through their  premier league clubs and  prosecute all those found culpable in this disgraceful act.”