Furore over ‘abandoned’ new NFF secretariat

After the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the Presidential Task Force on the Super Eagles which late President Umaru Yar’adua set up to help raise funds for the team’s participation in the mundial returned home to build a multi-billion naira secretariat for the football federation.The magnificent building which gulped over N350m is named […]

After the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the Presidential Task Force on the Super Eagles which late President Umaru Yar’adua set up to help raise funds for the team’s participation in the mundial returned home to build a multi-billion naira secretariat for the football federation.
The magnificent building which gulped over N350m is named after former chairman of the then Nigeria Football Association, Late Sunday Dankaro and was commissioned by Vice-President Nnamadi Sambo on July 18 2013 but has been lying waste since then.
Instead of move the secretariat of the NFF to Sunday Dankaro House, the president of the NFF has embarked on the renovation of the old secretariat which was gutted by a mysterious fire in the days of the crisis in Nigerian football.
The first to ‘knock’ Pinnick for failing to re-locate the NFF secretariat to its permanent site was ace female sports journalist Aderonke Ogunleye-Bello who questioned the rationale behind NFF’s decision to renovate a ‘rodents infested’ glasshouse when the new secretariat is being allowed to rot.
In her Open Letter to Pinnick the journalist wondered why the N50m allegedly given to the NFF by Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State for the furnishing of the new secretariat is being used to renovate the old secretariat in Wuse Zone 7.
She wrote “The burnt NFF building is under re-construction. It still baffles me why you have the N50 Million war chest from Gov Godwills Akpabio and still could not furnish and relocate to the Sunday Dankaro House New Secretariat Complex. I suppose it is better to pack in there and enjoy the newness and freshness.”
Few days after the Open Letter, another one emanated from Malam Abba Yola, the former Special Adviser on Technical Matters to the former Director General of the National Sports Commission, Dr. Patrick Ekeji.
Yola who coordinated the construction of the new secretariat located at package B of the Abuja National stadium also expressed shock at the decision of the NFF to renovate the old secretariat when there is a befitting edifice somewhere waiting to be occupied.
After taking the NFF president  down memory lane on how the building came about, Yola then sent his message saying “Here you are with a befitting presidential penthouse house office, a general secretary’s floor, principal officers wing, four spacious conference/meeting halls, standby 150KVA generator, corporate and media friendly New Secretariat.
“Yet Mr president, you prefer to stay in a rented/burnt office complex; rodent infested secretariat which is very unfriendly secretariat to the corporate world, the media and of course your numerous foreign friends and even approve its re-furbishment/renovation with tax payers money.
He concluded by saying “It is truly amazing to see somebody with your taste and class doing these kinds of un-patriotic and un-befitting things”.
The former Director General of the National Sports Commission, Dr. Patrick Ekeji whose tenure supervised the award and execution of the contract for the new NFF secretariat in response to Yola’s Open Letter to Pinnick also said “When GMB GCFR (General Muhammadu Buhari) is sworn in May 29, issues such as this will certainly resurface and surely be addressed.
“I didn’t even know Gov Akpabio has given that much for the furnishing. Well we did what we (PTF) had to do. We leave the rest to them that are with the baton”.
This SMS was sent to the General Secretary of the NFF Mohammed Sanusi“Good afternoon Dr. Any plans for the secretariat to move to the permanent site in the near future? Why renovate a rented apartment when you have a newly built and commissioned secretariat?”.
There was no response from the scribe of the NFF. Consequently, renovation work at the Zone 7 secretariat of the NFF is ongoing and nobody can say categorically when the secretariat of the football governing body would relocate to the permanent site.