House of Representatives has mandated a comprehensive investigation into the activities and financial accounts of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) spanning from 2015 to the present day.
This resolution, born from a motion of urgent public importance, signals a profound attempt by the legislature to enforce transparency and accountability within the nation’s most popular sport, with the ultimate goal of restoring both national pride and international confidence in its governing body.
The probe will compel the leadership of the NFF to appear before the House Committee on Sports, armed with a complete record of all activities, receipts, and disbursements of funds over the past decade, laying bare the financial trajectory of Nigerian football for official scrutiny.
The motion, championed by Dr. Adedayo Samuel Adesola and Nwaeke Felix Uche, was fueled by a litany of grave allegations that have long plagued the federation.
Leading the debate, Dr. Adesola invoked the recent public lamentations of former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh, who accused the NFF of systematically undermining the growth of soccer through the misappropriation of grants from FIFA and CAF.
The lawmaker presented a damning financial overview, alleging that between 2015 and 2025, the NFF received development funds in excess of $25 million from these global and continental bodies, with “nothing tangible on ground” to justify this colossal capital inflow.
He referenced a specific and persistent ghost from the past—a $1.1 million FIFA development grant from 2016, of which $802,000 allegedly lacked proper documentation, an issue that once prompted a former Sports Minister to order an independent audit.
The scope of the investigation will extend beyond missing documents to questionable physical projects. Lawmakers pointed to the trending social media allegations concerning $1.2 million that the NFF claimed to have spent on constructing the Birnin Kebbi Stadium.
A physical inspection of the facility reportedly revealed a substandard project whose quality and scale could not possibly justify the stated expenditure, especially when contrasted with a similar, well-equipped facility developed by the Kenyan Football Federation using the same grant amount.
With another African Cup of Nations tournament and a World Cup play-off on the horizon, the House is acting to prevent what it perceives as the further misuse of public and international funds, aiming to ensure that future financial resources are channeled directly toward the success of the Super Eagles and the foundational development of the sport, rather than being lost to a system mired in allegations of profligacy and mismanagement.
