Pinnick, please say something about Ugborodo Stadium

The past days have been quite challenging for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) due to the sudden hullabaloo over the Birnin Kebbi Stadium built around 2020 with funds from the world football governing body, FIFA. According to reports, the Birnin Kebbi Stadium cost a whopping $1.2 million, however, the structure on the ground in the […]

The past days have been quite challenging for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) due to the sudden hullabaloo over the Birnin Kebbi Stadium built around 2020 with funds from the world football governing body, FIFA. According to reports, the Birnin Kebbi Stadium cost a whopping $1.2 million, however, the structure on the ground in the capital of Kebbi State is said to be far below the money allocated for it.

Before we continue, it is necessary to trace the history of the mini stadium. In a bid to develop football around the world, FIFA initiated what it termed the FIFA Goal Project, which is a development and assistance programme designed to realise projects based on the specific needs of national associations.

Considering the enormous football talents in Nigeria, in 2020, FIFA magnanimously approved the construction of two mini stadiums in the country – one in Birnin Kebbi and another in Ugborodo, Delta State. FIFA also approved and released money for the two projects. For each of the mini stadiums, $1.2 million was released by FIFA.

Whether built up to FIFA standard or not, for more than three years, the Birnin Kebbi Stadium has been serving the purpose of its existence. The venue has hosted many local and even competitive football matches organised by the NFF. Sadly, the stadium in Ugborodo is nowhere to be found. I will surely return to the abandoned stadium in the hometown of the former NFF president, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick.

For the Birnin Kebbi Stadium, all seemed normal until a recent photo shared by FIFA surfaced on the social media showing the stadium under the FIFA Forward Programme, leading to a public outrage. The picture taken in 2023 showed an unfinished project as the most essential components of a mini stadium were missing.

Therefore, Nigerians, especially those who saw the picture of the stadium for the first time, expressed shock and disbelief, with most of them asking how such a small, yet unfinished structure gulped over $1 million.

The agitations from Nigerians who vehemently questioned how the money from FIFA was expended on the Birin Kebbi Stadium attracted the attention of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports, compelling members to initiate a probe.

Interestingly, Mr Pinnick, who was the NFF president when the Birnin Kebbi Stadium was constructed, has come out to say that the money from FIFA wasn’t misappropriated as alleged by some people. In fact, by his explanation, the money wasn’t even enough to execute the project. He also emphasised that FIFA exercised stringent oversight on all its projects, making it impossible for funds to be abused by the beneficiaries.  

Speaking in an interview with ARISE News, Pinnick said: “If FIFA gives you their money, they audit that money. They know everything from A to Z, and they have standards. So, if the contract was about $1.1 million in 2020, how much was that in naira? Less than N400 million. That’s what people don’t realise.”

He explained that despite the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic which unsettled the whole world, the project followed due process from start to finish, noting that no additional funds were requested or approved.

In his usual manner, the former NFF boss berated those he said were quick to make allegations without backing them up with facts, stressing that his tenure was marked by transparency, accountability and adherence to FIFA’s financial regulations.

Personally, I am happy that the youth in Kebbi State and beyond are using the artificial pitch in Birnin Kebbi to develop their football skills. At least there is something to show for the money FIFA released to the contractors. Only recently, Nigerians were told that contrary to their erroneous conclusions, FIFA does not lodge into the accounts of NFF funds meant for its projects. According to those who know the process, such funds go straight into the accounts of the construction companies.

Anyway, I didn’t expect Pinnick to say that the money for the Birnin-Kebbi Stadium wasn’t utilised judiciously. When the two Goal Projects were awarded to Nigeria, he was both the NFF president and a member of FIFA Executive Committee. He must have influenced the approval of the two sports facilities and where they were to be sited.

However, having defended the Birnin Kebbi project, Pinnick should be courageous and honest enough to tell Nigerians what has happened to the FIFA Goal Project in Ugborodo. Without a doubt, he was behind FIFA’s decision to locate one of the mini stadiums in his hometown. It is also not in doubt that as NFF president, he decided that the contract for the construction of the stadium in Ugborodo should be awarded to an indigenous company, Monimichelle Sports Construction Company, led by Ebi Egbe from Bayelsa State.

Unfortunately, after the elaborate flag-off ceremony, the Ugborodo Stadium, mid-wifed by the former NFF president as a legacy project, appears to have vanished into thin air. It is said that up to this moment, the only thing the contractor has put on ground after allegedly collecting almost half of the contract sum is an incomplete spectators’ stand.

It is an open secret that the project is stalled due to a serious misunderstanding over financial dealings between the contractor and the former NFF president. At a point, law enforcement agents were brought in by one of the parties in the stadium fiasco. Till date, no one has seen a single picture of the stadium, which makes the case of Birnin Kebbi Stadium a better one. In Kebbi, there is at least something to point at.

In any case, the controversy over the Birnin Kebbi Stadium is an opportunity for Nigerians to know the truth about the FIFA Goal Project in Delta State. The same energy and speed deployed by Pinnick in defending his administration’s prudent and transparent utilisation of funds for projects should be extended to the mysterious Ugbodoro Stadium.

It is said that charity begins at home. His loyalists say he has done so much for the Nigerian football and his people. In fact, Pinnick is credited with the construction of a FIFA-approved synthetic pitch in Ode-Itsekiri. Some of his supporters even count the sponsorship of the popular “Warri Again,” a popular comedy show, as one of the accomplishments of the renowned football administrator.

Without a doubt, Pinnick has attained an enviable status in world football administration. However, the continuous abandonment of the Ugborodo Stadium without cogent reasons has tainted his reputation. It is not good for the image of a former FIFA Executive Committee member.  

So, beyond explaining to Nigerians what transpired between the NFF and the contractor, Monimichelle that led to the abandonment of the project, Pinnick should ensure that the mini stadium is completed and delivered to his people, else his diehard critics will continue to accuse him of using the project as a ploy to acquire land in his hometown.

Personally, I do not think Pinnick lacks the capacity to purchase any quantity of land anywhere in Ugbodoro. He does not necessarily have to deceive his people to acquire land.

Unfortunately, when one brings home an ant-infested log, he should be sure that ants would pay him a visit. Had the Ugbodoro Stadium been completed, surely, there wouldn’t have been any cause for such uncomplimentary narratives against one of Africa’s most influential football administrators.