NFF's N17bn Funding Used to Settle Inherited Debts

A former member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board stated that the N17 billion intervention funding received by the Ibrahim Gusau-led board from the Federal Government was primarily used to settle debts inherited from the previous administration led by Amaju Melvin Pinnick. Malam Shehu Dikko, chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), had claimed that the Gusau-led board received better funding than its predecessor, which he compared to the approximately N15 billion received by Pinnick during his eight-year tenure from 2014 to 2022.

The former board member highlighted significant debts, including a 23-month backlog of Coach Jose Peseiro’s salary, totaling over a million dollars, which was falsely recorded as paid by the Pinnick board. Additionally, outstanding match allowances and bonuses owed to Super Eagles players, some dating back to the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, were also inherited by the Gusau board.

The source criticized Dikko for not acknowledging the financial burdens left by the previous board.