Anxiety as huge debt, backlog of salaries threaten NFF’s operations

By Ikenna Okonkwo As this week winds up today, allegations over how Amaju Pinnick-led Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) plunged the country’s football body into huge debt despite various sponsorship deals which his administration secured over the past three years have piled up.
In fact, some of the Staffers of the federation who pleaded anonymity have been making staerling revelation on how millions quickly grow wings and fly away from Glasshouse under Pinnick.
One of them who worked as a very close administrative while the reign of Pinnick lasted revealed that over N4 billion debt is hanging on the organisation.
“The situation is very bad said an insider who knows.
Staffers of the organisation not on the IPPIS may not even remember when last they got a salary.
Allowances are foreign.
Since 2015, we don’t know allowances here.
“Serob Hotel in Wuye, the almost permanent home of the cadet and female national teams was owed at the last count N330million! Three other hotels are owed about N281million.
Only last week, report has it that one of the biggest travel agents used by the NFF was owed almost N400million.
He refused to write any ticket on credit that caused the initial delay in the travelling arrangements of the Flying Eagles to Mauritania.
He was paid a chunk of the money but it is back to about N200million at the moment.
Another insider who spoke and doesn’t want his name metioned publicly confirmed, “If you calculate what is declared and what is not declared, the Amaju Pinnick board would have made in excess of N15billion.
The irony is, not even one kobo of these monies has passed through the accounts of the NFF.
There is a medium which these monies are gotten and spent.
What we have here is rather a sole administrator.
Pinnick does not require board decision to spend monies.
“Contrary to claims that millions were being generated by the former board led by Amaju Pinnick, there is no trace of record of such sponsorship or any money in the files of NFF.
Whether Aiteo, Wamco, Globacom, TomTom etc ‘Na hear we dey hear.
Money we no see’ said the NFF staffer.
Ironically, there is no trace of Federation cup sponsorship money nor the Nike deal money in our books.” Blueprint weekend Sports can confirm that the Nike jersey used by the Super Eagles in Russia, where the public was told over three million replica were sold in a week, there is no single jersey in the store at the Federation, a situation that forced current board led by Amb Chris Giwa to buy kits for Flying Eagles and Nigeria’s Women under-20 team, Falconets last week ahead of their qualifier and competitions respectively.
Efforts to get Pinnick respond to allegations flying on was fruitless as he didn’t respond to calls after he reportedly returned from Russia shortly after the just concluded World Cup

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