Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has sharply criticised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), accusing it of mismanaging approximately US $25 million in funds received from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) since 2013.
Obi described the situation as “sickening and shameful,” noting the absence of tangible deliverables despite the large sums involved. He cited a reported US $1.2 million stadium in Kebbi State as a “national embarrassment” and said further investigations would reveal worse realities than those already known.
He challenged the narrative that Nigeria’s critics are “demarketers” of the country and instead pointed to incompetent leaders who divert resources meant for youth and sports into private coffers. “Our youths are our most prized assets, yet we have destroyed their future and then turned around to label them ‘Yahoo boys,’” Obi stated. The criticism has sparked renewed calls for transparency, auditing and independent oversight of sports funding allocations in Nigeria.
