By  fidelis ebu, Abuja
After top members of the Nigeria Football Federation had sessions with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, it is now the turn of the supervising Sports Ministry to answer some questions too.

Federal Government approved over N1 billion for the last World Cup.EFCC is investigating how the money was spent. They are also investigation other monies that accrued to the sports bodies.  While the Nigeria Football Federation got N900million, the Sports Ministry received N350 million for the World Cup.

The ministry which also acts as the National Sports Commission will, today,  explain what they did with the money allocated to them, dependable sources said yesterday.  The ministry is also expected to make some clarifications on some  approvals, allocations and monies earned by the country during the Under 17 FIFA World Cup in Nigeria last year.

FIFA paid Nigeria $5m which was part of the money the marketing unit raised during the event. The LOC, supervised by Sports Ministry, had moved to pay their contractors  with the money but a litigation which argued that the money was not meant for such payments stayed action on it. LOC had been given over N13 billion for the championship which it was yet to account for.

Again, before it became a court matter, the  former President of federation Sani Lulu was said to have bluntly refused to release the money to LOC to pay contractors on the grounds that it would amount to misapplication. . The money was said to have been found in tact in a First Bank account which the NFF declared when their top officials faced EFCC lastmonth. EFCC promptly froze that account. Embezzling the FIFA grant was one of the numerous allegations against them and with the money found intact in a bank, EFCC have to look elsewhere.

Their spokesman Femi Babafemi said yesterday that more officials of federation could also appear before it for further investigation. But today is the turn of the sports ministry to take questions.

Director-General of the ministry, Patrick Ekeji, we gathered, will be quizzed and will be defending the ministry at EFCC.
Before now, Sani Lulu, Amanze Uchegbulam, Taiwo Ogunjobi and Aminu Maigari the current chairman all appeared before EFCC.

The House of Representatives Committee on sports probing the World Cup failure has also invited members of the FA to address it.