After weeks of mounting pressure, the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Aminu Maigari, has bowed, resolving to probe the embattled chairman of the Organizing and Disciplinary Committee (O&D), Olaleye Adepoju over N1.5 million bribery allegation.
The NFF at its Executive Committee meeting held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Saturday, October 12, 2013, resolved to constitute a four-man committee headed by Chris Green to probe the allegation.
Part of the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting reads, “Also, the NFF resolved to constitute a four-man committee to probe bribery allegation against the chairman of the Organissiang and disciplinary Committee (O&D), Olalyeye Adepoju as well as Chidi Ofor Okenwa, chairman of Enugu State Football association.
“The Executive Committee resolved to set up a four-man committee to investigate an allegation of bribery against a member of the Executive Committee, Barrister Olaleye Adepoju. Barrister Chris Green is chairman and members are Chief Inyama, Hon. Shehu Adamu, Alhaji Muazu
Kawu and Brigadier-General Emma Okaro (rtd), with Alizor Chuks as Secretary. In the meantime, Barrister Adepoju is suspended from Chairmanship of the Organizing and Disciplinary Committee of the Federation.
“Committee resolved to set up a four-man committee to investigate a petition against Mr. Chidi Ofor Okenwa, Chairman of the Enugu State Football Association. Vice President, Chief Umeh is chairman, with Chief Inyama, Alhaji Yusuf Fresh and Hon. Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande as
members, with Danlami Alanana as secretary. The committee has two weeks to submit its report”.
Prompt News Online had reported that an official of Shooting Stars FC, Ibadan, had alleged that Mr. Adepoju, also an executive committee member of the NFF received a sum of N1.5 million from the club on behalf of O&D members so that their case against Sunshine FC of Akure could be decided in their favour.
Unfortunately for the O&D Chairman, Adepoju, the decision did not favour Shooting Stars (3SC) as Sunshine FC got three goals and three points.
The official of 3SC later confronted another member of the O&D who denied receiving any money from the chairman in respect of 3SC, Sunshine disciplinary case.
When confronted, Mr. Adepoju denied ever receiving any money on behalf of O&D members. However, he admitted collecting the exact sum in question (N1.5m) from 3SC but for a different purpose- profession services he rendered to the club.
Piqued by this denial, a member of the O&D, Iyke Igbokwe raised the alarm and subsequently petitioned the NFF President, Aminu Maigari, demanding that the allegation be investigated thoroughly.
Iyke Igbokwe’s petition reads in part, “I came into the picture in a bizarre way which I will not expose in this Petition for security of my evidence but which I will expose how I came to know about Barrister Leye Adepoju’s solicitation and receipt of the Bribe request from Shooting Stars Sports Club when I appear before any Committee set up by the NFF on this sad Petition.
“I have other evidences on the Bribery allegation against Barrister Adepoju which I will present to the Committee at its sitting to hear the merits of this my patriotic Petition. But One evidence I will present in this Petition is the Payment Voucher signed by Barrister Adepoju confirming the receipt and payment of the sum of One Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N1, 500,000) to Barrister Leye Adepoju by Shooting Stars Sports Club for Members of the Disciplinary Committee on the Sunshine Stars/3SC case. Please find attached, the Payment Voucher as“Exhibit 1”.
“Finally, the Bribery allegation involving Barrister Leye Adepoju is a huge Scandal and dent on the image of the NFF Executive Committee, the NFF Disciplinary Committee and the entire NFF as a body, The Allegation is a serious misconduct of gross abuse of Barrister Adepoju’s office as the Chairman of NFF Disciplinary Committee and a Member of the NFF Executive Committee which is the highest Football Ruling organ in Nigeria.
“The image of the NFF as a responsible Organization untainted with Corruption is hugely damaged by the Bribery allegation and conduct of Barrister Adepoju as the issue is already in the public domain in the Radio Stations, Television Stations, the Newspapers and the Internet. Nigerians are therefore watching what the NFF led by the NFF Executive Committee will do on the highly scandalous allegation against one of its members. I count on the NFF to thoroughly investigate this Petition and sanction Barrister Adepoju if found guilty accordingly.
“I urge the NFF Executive Committee to immediately set up an Ad-hoc Committee in line with Articles 34e and 61 of the NFF Statutes to look into the serious allegation of Bribery and Corruption raised against Barrister Adepoju in this Petition”.
