Lawmaker slams delay in probe of $25m FIFA-CAF grants to NFF

Lawmaker slams delay in probe of $25m FIFA-CAF grants to NFF

More than two months after the House of Representatives resolved to probe the use of financial grants advanced to the Nigerian Football Federation for the development of football in the country, the House Committee on Sports has yet to submit reports on its findings.

The PUNCH had reported in October 2025 the resolution of the House to investigate financial grants to the nation’s football governing body totalling $25m from 2015 to 2025.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance at a plenary last year, co-sponsored by a Lagos lawmaker, Adedayo Adesola, and his Rivers State counterpart, Felix Nwaeke.

Titled “Motion to stop further misuse of FIFA and CAF grants by Nigerian Football Federation,” Adesola, who represents Apapa Federal Constituency, Lagos State, had noted that the alleged mismanagement of grants by the global football governing bodies was largely responsible for the poor outings in recent times by Nigeria’s national teams.

It would be recalled that a few months ago, ex-Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh, accused the NFF of stifling the growth of football in Nigeria through the misappropriation of grants from the Federation of International Football Association and the Confederation of African Football, citing the questionable handling of $1m the NFF received from FIFA to prepare the Super Eagles for the 2002 World Cup.

Between 2015 and 2025, the NFF allegedly received development funds in excess of $25m from FIFA and CAF, with no proportional investment to justify the huge amount of money.

On October 28, 2025, the House, rather than constituting an ad hoc committee to probe the allegations as requested in the motion, resolved to commit the prayers to the Committee on Sports for recommendations to the House for further legislative actions.

The committee, which had four weeks to submit its report, failed to do so before the House adjourned for the Christmas and New Year break in December 2025.

Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Online on Thursday, Adesola, a member of the All Progressives Congress, wondered why nothing had been heard of the assignment before the House adjourned for the Christmas holidays.

He said, “Nigerians are interested in knowing the outcome of the committee’s findings. It’s over two months now since the Committee on Sports was given the assignment. So, where are we? What are the findings?”

The lawmaker noted that the failure of the Super Eagles to qualify for the World Cup holding in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico had cost the nation huge earnings in appearance fees and other opportunities too numerous to mention.

“Nigerians are addicted to football. It is a game that knows no tribe or religion. However, the management of football in our beloved country has left much to be desired in recent years.

“We are missing the World Cup this year for reasons that are largely administrative. It is difficult to highlight what we have missed given our inability to qualify for the tournament.

“The leadership of the committee should let Nigerians know the details of its findings on the alleged mismanagement of the $25m. The earlier this is done, the better,” he added.

In December 2016, FIFA sent an audit query over the mishandling of a $1.1m development grant to the NFF and reported that $802,000 lacked proper documentation, prompting the then Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, to order an independent audit and ask the NFF to account for receipts and disbursements.

The intervention of the federal lawmaker is likely to fuel further inquiries in the House ahead of the National Assembly’s resumption on January 27, 2026.

Punch