Cash Trapped NFF Flies In Private Jet To Katsina

FRANCIS ACHI/ Abuja

It was an absurd drama as the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, that had been groaning under harsh financial conditions in administering football in Nigeria, flew its executive committee members in a private jet on an official visit to Katsina State on Tuesday.

The executive committee members were in Katsina State on a courtesy visit to His Excellency, Mallam Aminu Bello Maisari, to show appreciation on his giant strides in the development of football in the state, while also looking forward to a successful hosting of the forthcoming NFF election in the state.

Meanwhile, a top football administrator in Nigeria who preferred to be anonymous, has lambasted the NFF board led by Amaju Melvin Pinnick for not showing enormous support to the technical crew of the Golden Eaglets in their quest to bring honours to the country at the on-going WAFU B Under 17 qualifying tournament in Niamey, Niger Republic where the team had already lost their first game 3-2 to Burkina Faso.

“It is a shame that the national teams are struggling but Pinnick led NFF board is busy with NFF elections to be held in Katsina. Imagine that they flew private jet to Katsina state and they kept complaining about shortage of funds to prosecute the activities of the national teams like the Golden Eaglets that suffered while camping in Abuja before they traveled to Niger for the Under 17 qualifiers, ” the football administrator said.

” Nigerians should not be surprised if the Eaglets fail in their bid to qualify for the FIFA Under 17 World Cup in successions. The team have been programmed to fail from the beginning with poor funding of their camping activities”, he added.

In a related development, a reliable source in the Nigeria Football Federation informed that there is nothing wrong if the NFF executive committee members flew private jet to Katsina state on an official assignment , as he revealed that the money was from private pockets and no crime committed to fly private jet to Katsina state.

“The executive committee members did not commit any offence to fly private jet to Katsina state. The money was from private pocket , not from the account of the federation that has been starved of funds by the Ministry of Youth and Sports since the leadership crisis began few months ago, ” the NFF reliable source said.

The Golden Eaglets will play Côte D’ Ivoire in a make or mar encounter on Thursday at the on going WAFU B Under 17 tournament in Niamey, Niger Republic.