October 28, (THEWILL) — The House of Representatives has mandated a special committee to examine alleged financial mismanagement at the Nigerian Football Federation. The motion, brought forward by Adedayo Adesola and Felix Nwaeke on Tuesday, centred on claims that $25 million in grants from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football have been improperly handled.
Adesola told the chamber that former Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh, had recently accused the NFF of obstructing football growth by misusing development funds. Between 2015 and 2025, the federation received over $25 million from global and continental football authorities, yet tangible improvements in facilities or governance remain absent. A 2016 FIFA audit flagged $1.1 million in development funds, with $802,000 reportedly lacking documentation, prompting the then Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, to commission an independent financial review.
Investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission between 2018 and 2019 targeted NFF officials, including the former President, Amaju Pinnick, over suspected financial irregularities. Adesola drew particular attention to a $1.2 million grant purportedly spent on Birnin Kebbi Stadium, which he said was trending on social media after a site visit revealed substandard construction. He contrasted this with a comparable Kenyan project that produced a well-equipped facility.
With the 2025 African Cup of Nations and World Cup play-offs approaching, the lawmaker called for urgent intervention to prevent further misuse of public and donor resources. He argued that accountability measures were overdue, given the persistent allegations and the federation’s role in managing significant international funding streams.
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas led the House in unanimously adopting the motion, directing NFF leadership to appear before the committee with full documentation of all FIFA and CAF grant receipts and expenditures from 2015 onwards. The probe will scrutinise financial records spanning a decade, with the committee expected to report its findings before Nigeria’s upcoming international fixtures.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
