Nigeria Content Online

Revelations about bribery cases continue to flood
in this season. Last Monday, Technip, the international company based
in France, agreed to pay a fine of $338million to the United States for
bribing Nigerian government officials to get contracts. The following
day, French news agency AFP reported a ‘bribe’ case involving Desmond
Tutu, the famous Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town.

In an interview with the agency, Danny Jordaan,
the Chief Executive Officer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, revealed how
Mr. Tutu had offered to bribe FIFA officials. According to Mr. Jordaan,
the archbishop “promised Fifa top brass a first-class pass to heaven if
they granted then-World Cup hopeful South Africa the host bid”.

Mr. Jordaan is said to have been shocked by the
cleric’s offer because Mr. Tutu had “told South African organisers that
he would only support a bribe-free South African bid” before meeting
with FIFA officials. “Then we had our first meeting with the Fifa
executive and Archbishop Tutu said, `If you vote for us, I will make
sure that you get a first-class ticket to heaven,”’ Mr. Jordaan is
reported to have quoted the anti-apartheid campaigner as saying.

“I kept quiet and when we went out, I said, `Arch, but you said we must not bribe. Isn’t that a bribe?’” Mr. Jordaan said.

In response, the archbishop said, “No, no, it’s
not a bribe. A bribe is only when you give things to people who are
alive. In order to get their first-class ticket, they must first die.
That’s not a bribe.”

But it wasn’t only Mr. Tutu who offered ‘first-class’ treatment in
return for favour at this World Cup. Former board members of the
Nigeria Football Federation, who were sacked last week by President
Goodluck Jonathan, gave state FA chairmen a treat by paying for their
expenses to South Africa for the World Cup; a move which many believed
would have influenced the August elections into the board in favour of
those who sought re-election. An investigation into the dealings of the
board at the World Cup has been launched and it is likely to be found
that, this time, things were given to people who are alive.