Penultimate Saturday, Vanguard Media broke the news of the passing of football legend ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu.

Minutes later, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF through its Secretary General, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, issued a condolence message commiserating with the family and the football fraternity over his death.

In his reaction to Chukwu’s death, his team mate and former Attorney General of Rivers State, Adokiye AmiesimakaberatedtheNFF,askingthemtostopshedding crocodile tears because they owed him for a very long time.

His words; “Do you know they were owing him? Except he was paid recently, they owed him for years and they have the audacity to express grief over his death. What a shame.”

Dr. Mohammed debunked the story, stressing that they neither owed Chukwu nor any coach for that matter, challenging anyone with proof to come forward because “as a credible organization that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately”.

As someone who campaigned severally for the late Godwin Izilein who was owed allowances and bonuses for his role as coach of the Super Falcons to the 2004 African Women Nations Cup, AWCON in South Africa, I put it to the NFF that they are lying.

For 20 years Coach Izilein cried for his money, which he put at a cumulative sum of $12,000 plus N2 million promised him by then President Olusegun Obasanjo (his players received N1 million) for the victory in South Africa but the NFF ignored him.

Myself and a colleague, Osaretin Emuze who spearheaded the campaign had to approach, Mrs. Nneka Ikem-Anibeze who was SA on media to then Sports Minister, Barr. Solomon Dalung to assist talk to the minister to help out.

Dalung took the matter up. He was however, surprised when told that Izilein’s file couldn’t be traced anymore. He ordered a fresh file to be opened for Izilein so he could be paid.

The file, according to Nneka, was opened and the process began. Shockingly, shortly after Dalung left office, the file disappeared again and Izilein began a fresh lamentation after his hopes were raised following Dalung’s intervention. Dalung and his SA Nneka are still alive and this could be verified from them.

So the NFF cannot claim that they are not owing any coach, living or dead. Even if the NFF led by Ibrahim Gusau is not owing any coach, they cannot claim that no coach is being owed.

Once a new administration takes over the mantle of leadership, it inherits the assets and liabilities of the previous administration(s). That is the reality the Gusau-led board must understand.

As a direct attack on Dr. Sanusi’s statement, a former coach of the NFF at different levels who is still alive, Fatai Amoo came out to say that he was still being owed for the jobs he did as coach of U-17, U-20, U-23 teams and even as assistant coach of the Super Eagles.

Hear Amoo: “I didn’t get my salaries at U-17, U-20 and U-23 despite my contract. No salary or bonus was paid. I am lucky that all the work I did with every national team, I have my contract papers especially the Super Eagles”.

As you read this piece today being Easter Sunday, the NFF has not denied what Amoo has alleged. Yet Dr. Mohammed was beating his chest that “we are not owing Chukwu or any other coach”.

Officials at the NFF carry on as if they are untouchables, maybe because of their belief that if they are sanctioned, they will always cry to FIFA and plead government interference. But should the tail always be wagging the dog? An organization depends on the government for funds to operate, yet doesn’t want to be accountable to the same government?

Nigerians need to know why the NFF keeps running into debts of unpaid allowances and bonuses of both players and coaches despite the humongous amount they collect from government and grants they get from both CAF and FIFA.

The main reason NFF owes players and coaches despite all the money they collect is because they spend it on themselves and their supporters and hangers on.

What do I mean by this? During every competition they attend, they create room for their supporters from all the states as well as politicians who they fall back on to fight for them whenever they have issues with the government.

Imagine sponsoring close to 50 people who are flown to match venues, kept in hotels all through the competition and paid allowances in dollars in form of estacode.

I remember one NFA Chairman now late, Brig-General Dominic Oneya who took over after Kodjo Williams was impeached. He tried to cut the number of board members attending competitions but he was threatened with impeachment. He told me this in South Africa in 2000 when Super Falcons went for the AWCON that year. He wondered why members always yearned to be part of delegations when they have no particular job to carry out on those trips.

One other man who they couldn’t bend was Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima. He insisted on small delegations always. Such men don’t get to stay too long because the vampires will always look for a way to ease them out. And they used the Super Eagles failure to qualify for the 2006 World Cup to ensure Galadima didn’t get a second term.
Let the NFF look for funds and pay coaches, living or dead, the money they are owing them and stop lying. Q.E.D.