Headline: NSC Boss Clears NFF of Misusing $1.19m FIFA Fund, Blames Exchange Rate for Kebbi Stadium Delay

|By Babatunji Wusu

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, has dismissed allegations that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) mismanaged $1.19 million earmarked by FIFA for the Birnin-Kebbi mini-stadium project.

Dikko clarified that the NFF neither received nor managed the fund, explaining that the project was executed directly by FIFA under its Forward Programme.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the NSC chairman said public criticism of the project was misplaced, noting that FIFA handled the financing, contracting, and supervision of the stadium.

“No one collected the money,” Dikko stated. “FIFA manages its projects directly. The NFF’s role is to provide land and specify project needs, while FIFA appoints and pays the contractor.”

He emphasized that this procedure aligns with FIFA’s global model for development projects, designed to ensure transparency and accountability. Dikko, who supervised Nigeria’s first FIFA Goal project, affirmed that the NFF had no direct access to the funds.

Addressing concerns over the stadium’s modest look, Dikko attributed it to Nigeria’s volatile exchange rate, explaining that the project was approved in 2015 when the dollar was much lower. However, delays in land acquisition pushed the contract signing to 2020, by which time costs had surged.

He added that the viral photo circulating online showed only the first phase of the stadium, which was fully completed as planned through a public tender process.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on Sports has opened an investigation into the NFF’s management of FIFA and CAF grants, with the Kebbi mini-stadium project forming a key focus of the probe.