The House of Representatives has resolved to establish a Special Committee to investigate the $25 million in financial grants reportedly received by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) from the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
This resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance during Tuesday’s plenary session, jointly sponsored by Hon. Adedayo Adesola (Lagos) and Hon. Felix Nwaeke (Rivers).
The motion, titled “Need to Curb Further Misuse of FIFA and CAF Grants by the Nigerian Football Federation,” alleged that the mismanagement of international football grants has contributed to Nigeria’s declining performances in recent years.
Referencing past controversies, Adesola cited former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh, who accused the NFF of misappropriating FIFA and CAF funds, including the $1 million allocated for the team’s preparation ahead of the 2002 World Cup.
Lawmakers noted that between 2015 and 2025, the NFF received over $25 million in development funds, yet there has been little tangible progress to justify such substantial funding.
Adesola recalled that in December 2016, FIFA raised an audit query over the mishandling of a $1.1 million development grant, with $802,000 allegedly lacking proper documentation. This led then-Sports Minister Solomon Dalung to order an independent audit.
He further noted that between 2018 and 2019, top NFF officials — including former President Amaju Pinnick — were subjected to investigations by the EFCC and ICPC over alleged financial mismanagement and irregular sponsorship deals.
Adesola also pointed out that one of the grants — $1.2 million purportedly used for the Birnin Kebbi Stadium project — has drawn public criticism after inspections revealed the facility to be substandard, despite the large sum claimed to have been spent.
“In contrast, the Kenyan Football Federation reportedly used a similar amount to build a modern, fully equipped stadium, further highlighting the need for accountability in Nigeria’s football administration,” he added.
With the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers approaching, lawmakers stressed the need to curb further financial mismanagement within the NFF.
Following unanimous support, the House, led by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, resolved to constitute a special investigative committee to probe all NFF financial transactions from 2015 to date.
The NFF leadership has also been summoned to appear before the committee with comprehensive documentation of all grants, receipts, and expenditures.
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