NFF, contractor disagree over abandoned Delta mini stadium

The General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, has insisted that the body terminated the contract of the handler of the FIFA-funded mini stadium in Ugborodo, Delta State, for failing to return to the site within the stipulated time after receiving about $500,000 for the project

The contractor, Monimichelle Sports, has also sued the NFF, seeking N10bn in damages due to the abandoned project.

The Ugborodo stadium is the twin project of the FIFA-funded mini stadium in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, and both were funded under the FIFA Forward Programme – a project that supports football development in each of FIFA’s member associations.

Each stadium is estimated to be worth about $1.2m, and while the project in Birnin Kebbi has been in use for about two years, the Ugborodo stadium has been abandoned without significant progress.

In the heat of the controversy about the management of funds for the project, the contractor and CEO of Monimichelle Sports, Ebi Egbe, distanced himself from the storm, noting that his firm is in a legal battle with the NFF over the termination of his contract.

“Corruption is a pervasive issue in Nigerian football, and Monimichelle Sports will not contribute to it. We are currently involved in a court case with the Nigeria Football Federation concerning the illegal termination of our contract without proper procedures. Moreover, we are taking legal action against the NFF for misleading the Nigerian public and defamation, seeking N10bn in damages,” Egbe said in a social media post

In response, the NFF claims that he was given a two-week ultimatum to return to the site earlier this year, in which his failure led to the termination of the deal.

There’s no new contractor. The only thing was that we gave him two weeks to return to the site and reach the level of the money paid to him. FIFA was aware, and he did not go back to the site, so it stands terminated because it is FIFA’s money,” NFF’s General Secretary Sanusi told The PUNCH.

“It was FIFA who directed us on what to do, and we gave him time.”

President of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria Task Force, Harrison Jalla, while tackling the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, about his claims that FIFA didn’t disburse money for the projects through the NFF, also revealed that the NFF has disbursed about $500,000 to the contractor.

“On October 25, 2020, with reference number S47547746 and transaction details PHUB: FT 2029003132/CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA, the sum of USD 262,116.28 was transferred to the First Bank account of the contractor handling the Ugborodo project as the first tranche payment,” Jalla said.

“On May 7, 2021, through the same account details, another sum of USD 306,045.52 was transferred. These are the only payments the contractor has received so far.”