By Mark Baber
March 20 – The General Secretary of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Musa Amadu (pictured), tendered his resignation on Wednesday after, according to unconfirmed reports in local media, a row with NFF President Amaju Pinnick over money, specifically FIFA grants and a $3.6 million loan from the Federal Government.
Amadu has been a pivotal figure in Nigerian football, especially during the recent crisis in the NFF administration, with his role praised by FIFA as Pinnick and his faction took control of the Federation and saw off various legal challenges. However, it appears Pinnick and Amadu had increasing differences in recent weeks, with matters reportedly coming to a head over a disagreement over the release of a $3.6 million loan/grant obtained from the Federal Government during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Earlier this week, Chairman of the Committee on Sports, Godfrey Gaiya, who had been pushing for the NFF to produce comprehensive accounts to parliament, surprisingly announced that the funds, which had been provided to the NFF in order to pay player bonuses at the World Cup, need not be returned to the government.
Neither Amadu or Pinnick has been willing to share with the media the circumstances of the alleged row and the nature of the financial dispute. Indeed, Pinnick claimed there had been no argument over any issue saying: “I believe that people should just respect Amadu’s decision. He has the right to resign whenever he wants and that’s exactly what happened; there was no disagreement over any issue.”
In Amadu’s resignation letter he simply thanked the NFF president, the executive committee and “everyone at the NFF for the singular honour of serving our great country in this position and wish you and the NFF the very best in the years ahead.”
The resignation was accepted by the NFF Executive Committee who said: “We greatly appreciate his quality contributions to the development of football in Nigeria. His professionalism, hard work and commitment to his duty helped in no little way in keeping the NFF administration stable and efficient. Without any doubt, when the story of Nigerian football is written, Musa Amadu’s name will be etched in gold.”
A few eyebrows may be raised over the notion that the NFF has been “stable and efficient” in recent times – indeed the circumstances surrounding Amadu’s resignation seem quite typical of the NFF during his tenure – clouded in controversy and showing a total lack of transparency amidst strong suspicions of financial irregularity.
Whilst Amadu, who became NFF’s general secretary in late 2010, is now reportedly seeking admission into the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, Jos, the NFF have announced Mohammed Sanusi as the new General Secretary.
In unrelated news from Nigeria, the Dolphins have been expelled from the CAF Confederations Cup after turning up in Tunis too late to pass through customs and make it to the stadium on time for kick-off, and Bolivia have withdrawn from playing a friendly over the “armed conflict and the tense political situation in Nigeria”, in a move described by the NFF FIFA Match agent as “chickening out.”
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