NFF Presidency: Plateau FA Rejects Giwa’s Candidature Over Alleged Corruption

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News, Sports News Wednesday, August 6th, 2014

Agabus Pwanagba, Jos

There are indications that the unwillingness of the Plateau State Football Association Chairman, Sunday Longbap, to nominate proprietor of Giwa FC, Amb. Chris Giwa for the post of NFF President because is due to the ambassador’s previous indictment in financial mismanagement.

African Examiner’s investigation reveals that Longbap has reportedly refused to nominate Chris Giwa and has cited the indictment by a government panel of the club owner as the main reason for his refusal.

It would be recalled that a 6-man fact-finding team led by M.T Ahmadu on Plateau United FC indicted Giwa in a White paper published in October 2004.

“Chris Giwa and his management team of five persons should refund to the government the sum of N2.5 million being the money that could not be accounted for,” read part of the 23-page government white paper.

It was also gathered that, Amb.Giwa was also suspended for six months, leading to the banishing of Plateau United to play in Akure after he and other officials invaded the pitch to threaten the referee to cancel a goal scored by Dolphins against Plateau United.

The main charges brought against the subject include: Lack of transparency and disrespect for laid down rules and regulations of the game.

He displayed an act of arrogance when interacting with the NFA disciplinary committee in Abuja.

The white paper also said that under the leadership of Giwa, the club were bedeviled by many shortcomings ranging from lack of transparency, lack of financial prudence and lack of proper records of accountability.

The committee noted that the Giwa-led management officials received twice what the players received as match bonus.

The players were given N5,000 as match bonus for a home game, while the management officials were paid between 10,000 and 20,000 Naira for home matches.

There were also un-receipted expenses for “public relations” and adverts in the mass media as well as inflated costs for both home and away matches.

The fact-finding committee was set up in the wake of the poor performance of Plateau United in the Nigeria Premier League despite huge investment by the Plateau State Government.

“Despite the huge sums of money released to the club this playing season, the club was faced with so many crisis ranging from administrative to technical problems, which resulted in the suspension of the chairman and later on the suspension of the Acting Chairman (Chris Giwa) and the technical crew respectively,” reported the committee.

However, it was further gathered that the candidature of Giwa has been advocated by some top NFF secretariat officials and ministry chiefs as “the government candidate” to head the new executive committee of the NFF come the August 26 polls.

If elected, it would be the first time a Plateau indigene would be elevated to such an exalted position.