Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, has dismissed allegations of misappropriation of the $1.2 million FIFA fund allocated for the construction of a mini-stadium in Kebbi State.
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television on Friday, Dikko clarified that no individual or organisation in Nigeria received the funds, stressing that FIFA directly managed the project’s finances and execution.
“That is where people are getting it wrong; no one collected the money. I’m not here to defend the NFF; they can defend themselves. But as the leader of sports in Nigeria, what happens to the NFF affects the entire sports ecosystem. So we need to set the record straight,” Dikko said.
He explained that under FIFA’s Forward Programme, the world football body oversees every stage of such projects — from appointment of consultants and supervision of contracts to direct payment of contractors — while the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) only provides land and project specifications.
“I was a manager of FIFA projects, and I know how FIFA works. Nobody collected the money because FIFA manages its projects directly. The NFF’s role is to provide the land and state what they want. FIFA then appoints consultants, goes through procurement, and pays the contractor directly to deliver the project,” he added.
The NSC chairman further clarified that the project’s valuation was based on 2015 exchange rates, when it was approved, not the current dollar rate.
“This project is not $1.2 million of today. When it was approved in 2015, the value was about ₦300 million. That was what the project was worth at that time,” Dikko explained.
He noted that delays in land documentation and acquisition stalled progress until 2020, when FIFA’s appointed contractor officially commenced construction. The structure currently circulating online, he said, represents only the first phase of the project.
The mini-stadium, located in Birnin Kebbi, has been under public scrutiny after FIFA used an image of the facility on its social media banner, triggering outrage and calls for an investigation into the project’s quality and value.
Dikko, however, maintained that the funds were handled transparently and in line with FIFA’s global standards, reaffirming that FIFA remains solely responsible for the project’s execution.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on Sports has opened a probe into the NFF’s management of FIFA and CAF development grants, with the Kebbi mini-stadium project serving as a key focus of the investigation.
