Adamu who was the Director of Sports Development in the Ministry of Sports and subsequently Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), was hated as much as he was loved as a self-acclaimed sports technocrat. It’s evident that the powerful Adamu who allegedly commandeered the country’s sports administration in the last three decades, is currently experiencing the most difficult moments in his career if not his life.

Adamu was provisionally suspended by FIFA last week alongside other executive committee members, Tahiti’s Reynald Temarii, as it investigates allegations of World Cup vote-selling by the duo. FIFA’s ethics committee, chaired by former Switzerland striker, Claudio Sulser, flanked by Jerome Valcke, the world body’s secretary general and Nicolas Maingot, its director of communications, announced the suspension. Other FIFA officials also provisionally suspended from taking part in any football-related activity are Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi and Ismael Bhamjee.

He landed in this trouble after reporters from a British newspaper, the Sunday Times, posing as lobbyists for a consortium of American companies that wanted to help bring the World Cup back to the United States, filmed Adamu asking for money to fund the construction of four artificial football pitches in Nigeria. Apart from the FIFA suspension, the embattled sports administrator is equally having another bout of battle waiting for him at home. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared that it is probing him.

Adamu has allegedly breached Chapter 11 of the world football governing body’s rules of conduct that forbids: “Any kind of advantage that could give even the impression of exerting influence, or conflict of interest, either directly, in connection with the bidding process, such as that at the beginning of a collaboration, whether with private persons, a company or any authorities except for occasional gifts that are generally regarded as symbolic or incidental value and that excludes any influence on a decision in relation to the bidding process; and any benefit, opportunity, promise, remuneration or service to any such individuals, in connection with the bidding process.”

The anti-graft agency said that though no money exchanged hands, it said Adamu requested the sum of £500,000. Therefore, it is enough reason to commence investigations on the embattled FIFA official. “We have already commenced our own investigations, mostly as a result of the fact that he was filmed demanding money to construct football pitches in the country,” EFCC spokesperson, Mr. Femi Babafemi, said.

Adamu said that “as far as I am concerned, I am not guilty of what they are saying. But the ethics committee is a committee that is credible. FIFA is a credible organisation and I am sure that the whole truth will come out of it. I welcome it.” His optimism, it seems, didn’t inspire anybody, including the EFCC.

The international soccer body said it will investigate the circumstances leading to the suspensions and presumably, related matters surrounding alleged voting arrangements between bidding nations and parties seeking to influence the bidding process. Valcke said the vote to decide the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will still go ahead as planned on December 2. But, he added that if Adamu and Temarii are eventually found guilty then both of them will not be part of the voting process.

Five countries are contesting the right to stage the 2022 World Cup, namely: Australia, Japan, Qatar, South Korea and the United States, while there are four bid groups for the 2018 World Cup. They are England, Russia, as well as joint bids by the Netherlands and Belgium, along with another joint bid by the Iberian pair of Portugal and Spain.

His larger than life posture in the sports administration has painted him as a demi-god, than severally called the bluff of even the power-that-be in the country, courtesy his enormous influence at the global soccer body, FIFA. His domineering tendencies over soccer in the country, has also carved a niche for himself as architect of the current crisis wreaking Nigerian football.

His numerous critics have been accusing him of planting his cronies within the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) with a view to perpetuate himself as the man to dominate the administration of the game in Nigeria. The man is not new to controversy, only that the current cash-for- vote scandal that led to his suspension seemed to be his worst and likely, the last in the sports circle.

It was said that it was as a result of his desperation to get re-nominated by Nigeria for another term on the FIFA executive committee that he instigated the world football governing body to ban Nigeria for alleged government’s interference in football administration in the country.

Adamu has been a house-hold name in Nigerian sports. An ex-academic, Adamu holds a doctorate degree in Physical Education. He was appointed sole administrator of the Nigeria Football Association in 1992, a year after, he became the Director of Sports Development in the Ministry of Sports.

He was actively involved in the organisation of the U-20 World Cup hosted by Nigeria in 1999. Also, he played a central role in the planning and organisation of Africa Cup of Nations jointly hosted by Nigeria and Ghana the same year. He was chosen to head the organising committee of the 2003 All Africa Games, COJA; an event Nigeria hosted.

It is not clear whether the sports technocrat can weather the current international storm that has gathered around him, though he has been able to wriggle himself out of several corruption allegations labelled against him at the local level. His controversial involvement in corruption-related deals that rocked the organisation of the games he chairs left his image not legally tainted simply because they were never proven beyond reasonable doubt.

Adamu was in 2005, named part of the organising committee of the 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa. He became a member of the FIFA Executive committee and President of the West African Football Union (WAFU) in 2006 and 2007 respectively. He left the sports ministry in 2008 in a controversial transfer to the office of the Head of Service of the Federation.