16th December, 2015
Taiwo Adelu
Former Gombe State Football Association Chairman, Ahmed Gara-Gombe has blasted Amaju Pinnick-led Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, over its plan to organise the Annual General Assembly (AGM) in Abuja at a period it cannot meet most of its financial obligations.
The NFF says its 71st AGM will hold at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja this Wednesday.
It further says the assembly will be attended by 88 delegates, made up of chairmen and secretaries of the football associations of the 36 states and the FCT, the Leagues, referees association, coaches association and players’ union.
All 12 members of the NFF Executive Committee as well as the General Secretary, former NFF Presidents and General Secretaries, members of NFF Management and stakeholders will also grace the occasion.
According to Gara-Gombe, holding an AGM at the most expensive hotel in Abuja with a large number of delegates on the lean purse of the NFF is a wasteful spending which the football authority should not to have undertaken at this period.
Gara-Gombe frown at what Pinnck’s NFF will spend on the AGM when it is public knowledge that it cannot pay salaries of national teams’ coaches, staff of the NFF and allowances of teams on national duties.
“It is so sad that despite the circumstances that brought Pinnick to power, he has disappointed most of us with some of his actions, especially with this AGM coming up in Abuja at the most expensive hotel in the FCT.
“I understood that he took some people in the NFF to a capacity building in London and this same set of people will be coming to dine and wine at the Transcorp Hotel during the AGM. Where is the money? And we understand that they cannot pay the salaries of coaches.
“To me, this is wasteful spending that must be avoided if truly they care for the progress of our football,” Gara-Gombe said.