NFF, NFLL accused of ‘squandering’ N244m broadcast funds in one week

At a time the Nigeria Football Federation is complaining of paucity of funds, the Nigeria Football League Limited, which is under the watch of the NFF, has squandered over N244 million this December.
It was learnt that the broadcast owner of the Nigeria Premier League, Total Promotions Limited, recently released a draft of N244 million to the Nigeria Premier League Limited.
The draft was paid into the account of the NFLL.
The money was moved by members of the NFLL as payment to different people.
The NFLL Board members were sacked from office over three years ago, but they are still laying claim to the offices.
The Board members were alleged to have falsely presented themselves to the receiving bank as the bonafide members of the NFLL Board.
The N244 million was paid out by the Club Owners in its entirety, available information revealed.
It was revealed that stakeholders and legal practitioners who closely looked at the article and memo of the Nigeria Football League Limited came to the conclusion that the Club Owners Association was not mentioned in the article and memo and therefore cannot usurp the functions of the board of Nigeria Football League Limited.
But they were, however, said to have perpetrated the fraud allegedly in connivance with the leadership of the NFF led by Amaju Pinnick.
One of those that benefitted from the largesse was said to be the National Association of Nigerian Footballers.
The body was given 20 per cent of the fund.
NANF had earlier written the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on the illegality of the NFLL Board.
The acting Executive Secretary of the NFLL, Kasali Obanoyen, has said the Club Owners acted illegally.
Obanoyen said: “We got information on the transaction in the NFLL account and moves by some individuals who are no longer current staff of NFLL to withdraw the money.
“I, acting on behalf of NFLL, quickly wrote the bank’s branch where the account was domiciled in Wuse Zone 3, Abuja, advising no funds must be moved from NFLL account but the bank allowed it.”
The beneficiaries of the N244 million also include an impeached former NFLL boss, two secretariat staff of the body and officials of the NANF.