Obi accuses sports federation of failing to deliver FIFA-funded stadium in Anambra
Peter Obi, former presidential candidate, has accused Nigeria’s sports authorities of failing to deliver a FIFA-funded stadium project that was promised to Anambra State during his tenure as governor.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Obi was reacting to recent allegations of fund mismanagement levelled against the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Recent reports claimed that the NFF misappropriated FIFA grants meant for grassroots football and stadium development projects.
Obi, adding his voice to the controversy, said officials from the “Sports Federation” informed him while he was governor that Anambra’s capital had been selected for a FIFA-funded stadium.
“Officials from the Sports Federation informed me when I was governor that Awka had been earmarked as one of six geographical locations for the construction of a FIFA-standard stadium to be fully funded by FIFA,” he wrote.
“We immediately allocated land for that purpose, and they assured us that the project would be executed through the Federal Ministry of Sports. That was the last we heard of it.”
The former governor said his administration, believing the project was underway, redirected resources to build smaller sports facilities across the state.
“Believing that such a major project was underway, we channelled our resources toward constructing mini-stadiums across the state to encourage grassroots sports.
“We commissioned the Chuba Ikpeazu Memorial Stadium in Onitsha, as well as the Godwin Achebe Stadium in Onitsha South, among others,” he said.
Obi lamented that “nothing came of the promised FIFA project” and that his administration eventually built the stadium itself.
Expressing disappointment over what he described as “the blatant squandering of opportunities” for Nigerian youth, he said further investigations into the allegations against the NFF could expose deeper issues.
“A further probe into the allegation against NFF will reveal even worse realities than what we currently know,” he added.
Meanwhile, the NFF has denied any wrongdoing, insisting that all funds received from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) are audited annually by external auditors.
The federation said the funds are tied to specific programmes “under strict adherence to financial regulations, compliance, monitoring and auditing at every stage of the project or programme.”
