ICPC Storm NFA Again
Search for NRA officials
From Juliana Taiwo and Lilian Okenwa in Abuja
Officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) Monday in Abuja, paid the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) a visit searching for the leader of the Referee Association (NRA).
Only last week Friday, Secretary General of the Association, Mr. Rahman Olaitan was picked up by the ICPC over the petition filed by Enugu State Council Chairman, Barrister Ray Nnaji regarding the withholding of the referees' registration funds to NFA.
Olaitan was only released following his plea that he was neither the NRA President nor the Financial Officer but promised to produce both men at the ICPC headquarters before the end of the week.
THISDAY checks revealed that ICPC's visit to the NFA was to have a chat with Mr. Olabode Oke, NFA Head of Finance and Administration as part of its investigations concerning Nnaji's petitions. Nnaji was said to have urged the ICPC to investigate what he termed "illegal diversion of about N5 million" being annual association fees paid by referees to NFA through the NRA between 1998-2004.
Nnaji had alleged that the accounts of the association had not been audited talk less making it public for the benefit of members.
"In other words, no member except the cabal has the knowledge of the amount of money in the credit of the Association and how it was spent. My state council alone paid into the coffers of NRA over N407,000 this year, we are not made to know the total sum collected and what was spent and how it was spent.
"Another issue is the collection of affiliation fees of the NFA from every referee, which never gets to the NFA. According to Article 73.3 of the NFA statue 'a referee shall be registered with the State FA within whose area he resides upon payment of annual registration fee as follows: FIFA listed referees and assistant referees N300, Grade I referees and assistant referees N200, Grade II referees and assistant referees N150, Grade III referees and assistant referees N100 and 50 per cent of these amount shall be forwarded to the NFA and 50 per cent retained by the State Fas," he disclosed.
Nnaji, the National Auditor of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and until yesterday one of the presidential aspirants (others are Dr. Sam Sam Jaja of Rivers State and Chief Abel Ehigie of Edo State) said himself and his supporters decided to avoid the illegality being perpetrated by the leadership of NRA and not be part of the September 3-4 elections holding in Sheraton.
Nnaji had in June instituted a suite at an Abuja High Court against the NFA, NRA President, Col Joro Dogo Yabilsu, the NRA and the Minister of Sports and Social Development, Col Musa Mohammed (rtd).
The suit stated that Yabilsu has shown manifest bias towards one of the contestants for the post of President (Dr. Sam Sam Jaja) and that NFA, which has been empowered to oversee the conduct of a free and fair election into the national office had refused and neglected to act even when the he (Nnaji) has complained of the bias and partisanship of the executive NRA led by Yabilsu.
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