Pinnick’s NFF owe coaches, staffers 9 months salaries

NFF's worst leader since 1945?

*Late Amodu too included

Amaju Pinnick-led Board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has once again displayed it's penchant for owing national team coaches, especially the indigenous ones.

Several national team coaches are being owed as much as nine months salary including staffers of the secretariat. The coaches include assistant coach of the Super Eagles, Salisu Yusuf, Flying Eagles coach Emmanuel Amuneke, Golden Eaglet's coach Manu Garba as well as the late Technical Director of the NFF, Shaibu Amodu.

The most affected among the coaches however is the Super Eagles assistant coach, Salisu Yusuf. While other coaches recently received one month payment from the nine months salary arrears, Salisu Yusuf who has four children in the university is yet to receive a dime, despite working all year with the Nigerian national team. The coach also takes care of his accumulating bill at Bolton White Apartments, where he has been staying.

In a report gotten from a reliable source, NFF in its attempt to pay Salisu Yusuf recently, mistakenly paid the money into the account of Belgian Jean Francois Loscuito who was assistant to Sunday Oliseh. Of course, the NFF was still owing the former as well.

In Emmanuel Amuneke's case and that of several others, they recently received just one month payment out of nine months salary arrears. Some of them have promised to take drastic actions against the NFF.

Furthermore, players of the U-17 men and women Nigerian national team have also received some ridiculous treatments. The U-17 girls reportedly got N10,000 from the Nigerian Football Federation after representing the country at the FIFA U-17 world cup. The same treatment was meted to the U-20 women’s team.

The U-17 boy's who just returned from an 8-nation invitational tournament in South Korea were also paid just N5,000.  Meanwhile, investigation revealed that the NFF indeed got well over $100,000 USD from the organisers of the Suwon invitational tournament as appearance fee.

FCT PS, Babatunde Ajakaiye, in another controversial scandal

FCT Minister Mohammed Bello and the Perm Sec, Dr Babatunde Ajakaiye

*Abuja businessman drags FCT Minister, Perm Sec, Development Control to court

* FCT Perm Sec. wants to take over my land

Chairman of Silver Proof Nigeria Limited, Mr. Tomothy Bagwams has alleged that the Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye is using his office to dispossess him of his plot of land in the Central Area.
Bagwams whose garden facility situated on Plot 747 A00 in the Central Area of the Federal Capital City was demolished by officials of the Department of Development Control on Wednesday November 16, 2016 maintained that Ajakaiye orchestrated the demolition for reasons outside public interest.

According to him, two days after the demolition, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, in company of some foreign investors who visited the demolished sites for inspection discussing possible use for the land despite a court summon that joined him as a defendant.
Bagwams who insisted that the Permanent Secretary gave instruction to the Department of Development Control to demolish the garden sought legal redress of the action.

Consequently, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Malam Mohammed Bello and the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council and Director of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Parks and Recreation have been dragged before an Appeal Court by Chairman of Silver Proof Nigeria Limited, Mr. Tomothy Bagwams.

Bagwams appeals to the Court to restrain them from further demolition of his properties on Plot 747 A00 in the Central Area of the Federal Capital City, a land designated as District Recreational Park which "was dully allocated to Silver Proof Nigeria Limited by the Federal Capital Territory administration in 2007 with all the appropriate documents with the sole purpose of developing a garden on the plot."
 
In the suit: FCT/HC/CV/2020/16 Bagwams pointed out that there have been attempts in the past by the Federal Ministry of Finance to hijack the land from him on the ground that the location constitutes a security threat.

However, that fear was allayed when the FCT Administration wrote to the Ministry clarifying that the area is a sub-system of Green Area network within the Ministries zone in the detailed Central Area Urban Design prepared by Messrs. Kenzo Tange and Urtec in 1998.  

He said the Deed of Lease between him and the FCTA on the Park was signed and sealed on July 16, 2007 stressing that all the accompanied fees requested of him by the law have been paid in respect of the Deed.  

Bagwams who wondered the sudden interest by the administration on the plot lamented the loss that resulted from the demolition exercise which was carried out in the presence of heavily armed Police men and Soldiers during which journalists who attempted to cover the exercise were thoroughly beaten said his investment has gone down the drain.  

His words: I can't still understand what is happening. I was shocked when I received calls from my staff on Wednesday that officials of Department of Development Control were demolishing my garden. I thought it was a joke.  

"All my investment had gone because everything was demolished. Nothing was spared. I do not know the intention of the FCT administration with this exercise because I have all the relevant documents that back up the allocation of the place.  
"I have over 30 staff working at that garden, now they are all out of job because of this mindless demolition. We were in Court but I was surprised without being served the court ruling and they came to demolish the place. Is this the government we voted for? Is this the change we were promised?  

"It seems there are higher forces or powers that be that are interested in taking the land from me since I'm nobody. If not, why coming to the place with police and Soldiers to intimidate us and even harass journalists."

Nigeria football at daggers drawn over illegal sharing of NFLL’s N244million

EFCC now a debt recovery agency?

From A. Balogun

With the release by Lagos division of EFCC to NFLL of the sum of N244 million, being money due NFLL from Total Promotions Ltd., in respect of the Premier League’s Broadcasting Right agreement with Total Promotions Ltd, the Nigeria Football world is now in turmoil.

In a proverbial sense, it is said that the day an elephant dies, all sorts of knives, cutlasses, saws etc. surface to carve the elephant.  This aptly depicts the state of the on-going battle by football administrators with regards to the sharing of this money.

To appreciate the sorry debacle, let’s review the genesis.  Larry Kubeinje, who now styles himself as the official Ag. President of NANF alleged in a signed NANF petition to EFCC that Total Promotions Ltd was illegally withholding the sum of N344 million said to be owed the Premier League body for the broadcast right agreement signed between Total Promotions Limited (TPL) and Nigerian Football League Limited (NFLL).

EFCC invited TPL and the summary of the series of interviews is that  TPL is reported to have paid NFLL N244million by way of series of banks drafts.  It is this payment that is now the cause of the battle. Sources from the divided house of NANF close to the negotiation claims that EFCC executives had wanted the draft cheques to the tune of N244million to be drawn in the name of NANF, the petitioner but TPL was alleged to have resisted this advice on the ground that its contract is with NFLL and both in the article and memorandum of association of NFLL and the body of the broadcast right agreement TPL has with NFLL, the name of NANF never featured.

It will seem that remained the position of all parties until a new twist emerged within NANF.  Larry Kubenje and Harrison Ijalla are now said to have fallen bitterly apart.  Harrison now claims he is still the President of NANF and describes Larry Kubenje as an impostor at best.  Kubenje on the other hand, backed by the Legal Adviser of NANF, Belo A. Esq; the powerful Clubs Owners, led by Danladi and Alloy and as rumoured, the League Management Co. Ltd., led by convicted Shehu Dikko and equally convicted Salihu Abubakar is waxing stronger than Ijalla.  Besides, the EFCC’s position is that Kubenje who signed the petition on behalf of NANF as its Ag. President is the head of NANF as far as EFCC is concerned.

With this bitter division within NANF, the football world soon became aware of the payment of this money to NFLL, resulting in the proverbial saying that on the day the elephant dies, different knives will surface.  EFCC, having wrongfully satisfied itself that Baribote and Tunji Babalola who served as NFLL Chairman and Ag. Secretary respectively and were last in office mid 2013/2014 Premier League season, are now, 3 years after, adjudged by EFCC to be legally representing NFLL, a body that had no elected board of directors since December, 2012 when the then board led by Baribote was impeached by Congress of the Premier League Clubs.  EFCC subsequently is said to have then asked Total Promotions Ltd if NFLL is the rightful recipient of the money to which TPL agreed on the grounds that in line with NFLL articles and Memo and its subsisting broadcast right agreement, the money belongs to NFLL.  With this desired cover provided by TPL obtained, EFCC released the bank draft of N244 million to Tunji Babalola/Baribote on behalf of NFLL.

It is said that a long list of so-called former Directors, Chairmen of Clubs, Retired Football Players, Coaches at National Level, former League Club Owners Chairmen, etc emerged in which each name therein submitted all manners of unverified monetary claims to be paid to each person from this NFLL money.  This sordid scenario is deepened with an alleged claim of 20% commission by NANF for writing the petition.  On the face of it, this 20% commission amounts to N48million given the said sum EFCC passed on to NFLL is N244million!  Industry watchers are demanding to know if NANF was formally commissioned to write the petition with fees agreed between it and NFLL, prior to writing the petition!  And which board of NFLL so commissioned as there has been no elected board from 2013 till date.  Given this fact, NANF’s claim to N48million has no legal backing and because of the daggers drawn battle within the NANF camps of Kubenje and Ijalla, it is also pertinent to ask which of these two antagonistic NANF bodies will claim this N48million illegal bonanza!  Who in NANF are the beneficiaries?  Are there shadowy figures who have helped in pushing NANF petition waiting eagerly in the wings to eat up this money.

Football lovers are wondering why, if NFLL has such huge sums of funds available, it cannot pay N100million from it in order to save its Abuja corporate headquarters office building housing its Abuja offices from imminent bank creditors axe!!! Rumours have it that a known Top Executive of the LMC is alleged to have acquired this NFLL building to himself through surrogates hence no mention of the axe dangling on NFLL corporate office nor is there any attempt to push for part-payment from this N244million bonanza in order to save the building!!!!!  Add to this, the tragedy of all sorts of outdated football administrators etc. in a vulture-like manner waiting to swoop on this money to satisfy their selfish, greedy, illegal diversion of this money.  If nothing is done now to stop Zenith bank Abuja, Wuse 2 branch, from honouring the signatures of Babalola and Miss Ester, both of whom last signed NFLL cheque at least 2 years ago after which NFLL Zenith account became dormant, in a matter of days. The money will disappear.  The worrisome intention of the illegal actions of this motley crowd of league football executives inspite of NFLL article and memo, is to move this whole amount of N244million to the Lafia account of Club Owners Association (which other footbsll executives who are in the know say this Lafia account may just have been  recently opened) with the intention to receiving the amount and dividing this loot from there using the signatures of Danladi and Alloy.  If this Lafia attempt is successful, the money will wholly and illegally vanish without the Premier League body’s elected board being given the chance to determine how this money can best be deployed. 

 

N244 broadcast fund: NANPF takes over from NANF

Kano Pillars...are these issues in the best interest of the players?

*Pay players’ debt from funds recovered

*EFCC may face law suit for acting as debt recovery agency

Nigerians will recall that the controversial N244million that National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) dragged the Total Promotion Nigeria Limited to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) being broadcast rights monies belonging to the Nigeria Football League Limited (NFLL) has taken a new dimension.

Sources disclosed that the EFCC was reputed to have released the bank draft that Total Promotion was forced to issue to the defunct NFLL team headed by Chief Victor Rumson Baribote and Tunji Babalola who respectively have paid it into a Zenith Bank account.

With a press statement signed by the rival players’ union, the National Association of Nigeria Professional Footballers (NANPF) said she “has deepened its communication further with the clubs indebted to players and coaches following monies recovered recently by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) for the clubs under the Nigeria Premier league (NPL) as Broadcast rights from Total Promotion.

“Following the advice of the leadership of the Nigeria Professional Football league Clubs Owners Association, whom the Players Union had earlier contacted,  the Union has communicated to all the concerned clubs on the need and for the sake of justice and fair play to ensue payment of their debts to the affected players and coaches from their share of the money as contained in the Nigeria Football Federation Players status and arbitration committee decisions and others authenticated by details of the contract of the players and coaches as attached.

With this statement, it is clear that NANF having gotten the fund, NANPF determines its spending. The Shola Popo led NANPF reminded the clubs that “since their complaints in the past was lack of funds to meet their contractual obligations to the players and coaches and further still comply with arbitration committee decisions, now that they will be getting their shares from the broadcast rights monies recovered by the EFCC which is generated from the collective image rights of the players and coaches, we strongly advise that part of the recovered money, if not all, should be used to settle the debts owed the players and coaches and avoid  the temptation of diverting such to individuals pockets.”

Sources disclosed to www.gongnews.net that certain debts had been computed by interested parties to share the said monies. However, alternative sources added that the NFLL Board led by Dr Sam Sam Jaja had intercepted the attempts to illegally withdraw the money which is hooked inside the ledges of the bank since those who made the initial attempts are no more in office and statutorily cannot access such funds again.

Third party sources also told www.gongnews.net that the EFCC having acted as debt recovery agency despite the fact that the matter is before a court of law may be facing new legal issues on the matter. This is because NANF which initiated the petition is not a party to the contract with the broadcast firm, Total Promotion.

Athletics: Breaking national record would still fetch you no winning bonus!

Obisesan, the winner, applauded by Minister. Where is her winning bonus?

*Where is Minister's cash bonus for national record breaker?

By Olalekan Soetan

I am sure that majority of the entire public and the Hon. Minister, Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi, who in my opinion has made some re-structuring to allow room for progress in our sporting federations, was not told that most of those athletes that put up the show at the Ilorin Golden League athletes laboured almost in vein, except for their personal gains of seasonal bests, personal bests and greatest of all setting of new National record that may not be ratified due to "usual" negligence on the part of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria's Technical crew!

AFN came up with a new agenda on how to raise the performance of Nigerian athletes, so they introduced standards before an athlete can gain the usual winning bonus when major competitions are staged to develop athletes and warm up to national trials.

They came up with 1,050 points on IAAF scoring tables, which in my opinion, when viewed on the level of development of current athletes, is outrageous and necessary!

Athletes prepared for the season, hoping the meagre winning bonus would be improved upon, but were surprised after competing in the 1^st Golden League at Sagamu (Ogun State) that athletes regardless of your position in their events, they must achieve a performance of 1,050points before kobo can be received as winning bonus!

The implication is, events like 100m, a performance of 10.47s and 11.79s would be required to get paid, which in my opinion is not outrageous, but unnecessary.

In the early season, top athletes like Usain Bolt, the current world record holder and Olympic champion can start season with a 10.2s. And if you compare his personal efforts of 9.5s with 10.2s, there is wide margin between the two, yet he gets paid appearance fees in the tune of thousands of dollars plus he must have been offered accommodation, full lodging, and winning bonus. He would be paid regardless of how bad the performance was, and more if he breaks records etc.

Nigeria's national record is 9.84s and averagely, a sprinter runs 10.6s locally, then towards national championships, they improve to 10.3s, usually, the national sports festival current champions made it to the finals in the proceeding years after the games. And the best, most athletes always put up to make finals is between 10.2s and 10.5s.

Statistically, the last national sports festival was won with a 10.50s, meaning majority of the sprinters ran poorer than expected.

Yet, the standard was raised and maybe the champion just got paid winning bonus in 100m when he ran 10.30s, new personal best!

In windy races, sprinters tend to run faster or slower than usual, depending on the wind direction. So a 10.4s sprinter on a good day can run faster with a wind in his favour or poorer in wind against.

And events longer than 200m are not always affected by wind, though, the final straight can be advantaged when wind for and otherwise if wind against!

Most times, only events from 200m to straight races and jumps are affected, also, throwing events.

In adverse situation, event best efforts might lead to sub-standard results etc. But more importantly, 100m is our best event for men and 400m for women with 49.10s.

Many events when the 1,050points scale was applied, performance these athletes have to put up is as high as the existing national record, some, especially throws and running events above 1,500m, breaking national record would still fetch you no winning bonus!

So sadly, the hammer women would have to break and re-break the yet to be ratified national record to get paid their deserved winning bonus! So they should be aiming at 67.30m...You should get my points now...

These caricature leagues are not up to standard in itself! Even the hammer safety net was not available to prevent serious injuries worst death! No ambulance if serious injuries, common fist aid can not even attend to a top sprinter that cramped during the men 100m final!

Never must the long jump or triple jump be competed without  take-off board, even in earliest games...yet the national record holder is the performance manager if naturally the misfit Technical Director doesn't know.

Plus the imposed Athletes' Representative, Chief Falilat Ogunkoya-Omotayo, who is the 400m national record African holder was there to witness poor welfare imposed on athletes.

I wonder who made a selfish ex-athlete a representative. Athletes have me as their Athletes' Representative, and while performing my duty of presenting their predicament, I was unjustly and unfairly slammed three years suspension.

 Unprecedented in the history our sport world wide when an athlete did not fail doping test! And the slavery goes on and the slave masters in AFN takes glory when records are set, even when they never saw it coming...so the latest record might have been lost.

And coach to the lady is now in Saudi Arabia preparing their athletes against ours...and the runner up lady's being trained by fellow athlete, my friend. And coaches who are in camp can't boast of athletes they train currently.

At least, I have two athletes in camp, one the leader in high jump at all levels

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.”

Above the law: Nigeria’s untouchable football goons

M. D. Abubakar...shunned by the NFF yet again

Goodluck Jonathan’s administration professes a mantra: Rule of Law. However, the nation’s football administrators are saying with impunity that they are above the law. The nation’s top police chief, the Inspector General of Police wrote to invite them for a chat and they shunned him.
The Police chief wrote his letter dated 23^rd May, 2013 with reference number CB:3514/X/LEG/FHQ/ABJ/vol. 22/2 with the title: FACT FINDING INVITATION. The letter was served and acknowledge received by the NFF secretariat on the 24^th May, 2013.
The content of the one-page letter read thus: The Inspector General of Police has directed that an enquiry be conducted into the status of the judgment in suit no. FHC/L/CS/962/10 THE REGISTERED TRUSTEES OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN FOOTBALLERS (NANF) VS. NIGERIA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (NFA) & 7 ORS.; in which the Inspector General of Police was ordered to remove with immediate effect, any person found occupying any effective office of the NFA anywhere with the Federation, arising from the purported Election of 26/8/10.
2. Consequent on the above, the following members of the NFA are hereby invited to see the Commissioner of Police Legal on Tuesday, the 28^th day of May 2013 by 2:00pm.
3. This is a fact finding invitation in connection with th above mentioned court order. On arrival, please report to the Commissioner of Police Legal, through Barr. Joseph Nwadike (Deputy Superintendent of Police), Lawyer’s Office, 5^th Floor, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
4. Accept the warm regards of the Inspector General of Police, Please.
The letter was signed by CSP David Igbodo, Assistant Commissioner of Police for the Commissioner of Police, Legal from the Legal/Prosecution section, “D’ Department (FCID), Abuja.
On the appointed date, the team were on wait for the members of the NFF who neither showed up, e-mail, wrote a letter, sent an emissary or sent an SMS.
According to our sources, at about 7:00pm, the Police team pulled a call through to the Acting Secretary of the NFF, Musa Amodu. He claimed he was there. The call was dropped. The registry of the entre porte of the Police were summoned to bring their register. Musa Amodu or NFF were checked at the time he claimed he came. No signs were found.
The call was put back to him where he was confronted with the fact that he nor anyone from the NFF honoured the Inspector General of Police’s invitation. He then admitted and tried to create a new alibi.
It would be recalled that when the President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan wrote and ordered the Inspector General of Police to carry out the orders of court until it is vacated, the then Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC, Patrick Ekeji, begged for a week to attempt a mutual peace move.
The NFF members in their individual capacities ruched to court to sue the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police. They lost the case which was dismissed by the court.
With the new impunity with which the nation’s police authority has been disparaged by the NFF, we will be awaiting the reaction of the Inspector General of Police who has an option of carrying out the orders of court on him or prosecuting the NFF members for contempt of that court’s orders which they incidentally did not appeal.