The Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, has clarified that FIFA, not the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), directly handled the $1.19 million Birnin-Kebbi mini-stadium project under its Forward Programme.
Dikko made this known during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, addressing allegations that the NFF mismanaged FIFA development funds meant for grassroots football and stadium infrastructure.
The controversy followed the circulation of a 2023 photo shared by FIFA showing the Kebbi mini-stadium, which appeared unfinished, sparking public outrage and accusations of fund diversion.
Dikko dismissed the allegations, stating that the NFF never received or controlled the funds. According to him, FIFA supervised the entire process—from contractor appointment to project execution and payment.
“FIFA manages its projects directly. The NFF’s role is only to provide the land and specify what is needed.
“FIFA then appoints and pays the contractors,” Dikko explained.
He attributed the delay and cost variations to the naira’s fluctuating exchange rate and bureaucratic setbacks in land acquisition and documentation, which delayed the project’s takeoff until 2020.
“The project was approved in 2015, and procurement started in 2016. People are judging by today’s value of the dollar without considering what it was then,” he said.
Dikko also clarified that the viral photo represented only the first phase of the project, insisting that work is progressing under FIFA’s supervision.
He emphasized that all FIFA-funded projects in Nigeria follow strict global procurement and transparency standards.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on Sports has launched an investigation into the management of FIFA and CAF development grants by the NFF, with the Birnin-Kebbi mini-stadium as a key focus of the probe.
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