Anti-corruption cop
Nuhu Ribadu is ‘dead’, long live corruption and other anti-social vices
that are killing Nigeria and Nigerians faster than the speed of
lighting.
Just as the ‘War
Against Indiscipline’ died the day the Buhari/Idiagbon government was
overthrown, the war against corruption died the day Ribadu was
‘removed’ as the head of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC).
For those in doubt
about the death of the anti-corruption war in Nigeria, the recent
scandal involving top officials in sports and English coach Glen Hoddle
is a clear example.
When in need of a
coach, the Nigeria Football Federation contacted Olatunji John Shittu
to use his vast network to assist them. On behalf of the NFF, Shittu
spoke to Guus Hiddink and other top coaches. This was acknowledged by
Hiddink and his manager when they said only Shittu had contacted them
on behalf of the NFF.
The federation did
not move fast, and they lost Hiddink, but Shittu still got them Hoddle;
both arrived the same day for interviews in Abuja.
Saraki’s explanation
The story changed when Hoddle, who demanded $900,000, refused to agree to give members of the panel an invoice of $1.5 million.
And nothing
confirms this more than the words of Kwara State Governor, Bukola
Saraki, who told the media that, “I was in Abuja February 25, when I
got a call from Shittu that he and Hoddle wanted to see me. When we
met, Hoddle complained that he was asked to part with $500,000 out of
his $1.5m and that was the only way to do business in Nigeria. I was
very upset.
“He (Hoodle) said
some people asked him to quote $ 1.5million instead of the $900,000 he
asked for. I asked him if his agent could confirm it. What I did was to
set up a meeting between Rotimi Amaechi,
who I know to be very straightforward, and Shittu. Anybody can call Hoddle and his agent.
“By the way why
would the PTF or Nigeria Football Federation pay $1.5million when the
coach agreed to collect $900,000? I did not search nor seek for Hoddle.
Let me make it clear that my action was taken out of my love for the
sport and my belief that a coach must be hired on the basis of
competition and he must be competent and again we have to tackle the
issue of corruption at all levels.”
Under Ribadu’s
EFCC, these words from Saraki were enough for anti-corruption cops to
quiz the members of the panel, Hoddle, Shittu and other parties
involved, to state their sides of the stories and prosecution would
then commence immediately if there are evidences of corruption.
But the EFCC is in
the morgue, the leader Farida Waziri seems to have other priorities,
and fighting corruption seems not to be one of them.
And because the
anti-graft agency is dead, members of the panel who ordinarily should
bury their heads in shame or should be donning prison uniforms and
talking to lawyers, have the guts to issue press releases.
But their spin
doctors did a poor job. Their response planted in about six newspapers
were not only identical, there was no attribution to anybody. So are
members of the panel cowards who cannot come out to defend their names?
Between Ogunjobi and Shittu
The chairman of the
NFF technical panel, Taiwo Ogunjobi, who spoke on the issue, chose to
chase shadows rather than substance. Ogunjobi attacked Shittu instead
of Saraki who come out boldly to say this is what Hoddle told him.
Saraki never said
Shittu made any allegation, all Saraki said Shittu did was that he
brought Hoddle to him and Hoddle alleged that some people in the NFF
told him to up his demand from $900,000 to $1.5million.
Ogunjobi said we
should not take Shittu seriously, but we take Saraki seriously and
Ogunjobi and others should just react to what Saraki said Hoddle told
him and stop chasing shadows.
Indeed, those who know Shittu and Ogunjobi’s antecedents will rather take Shittu seriously.
Let’s examine both
characters. Ogunjobi was one with Ibrahim Galadima when he was
re-elected as chairman of NFA in Kano a few years ago..
But the moment
Ogunjobi realised that Galadima had lost out to so-called government
people-led Samaila Sambawa, he quickly changed camp and queued behind
Sani Lulu, the present president of the NFF.
Compare to Shittu
and his role in one of the biggest transfer sagas in football history.
After the Finland 2003 FIFA U-17 World Youth Soccer Championship,
Shittu took John Obi Mikel and three other players to Manchester
United. Alex Ferguson loved them, but there was disagreement about who
would manage them, so Shittu took the boys to Claudio Raineri,
Chelsea’s coach who loved them and sent them to South Africa and
Norway. When Ferguson later realised his mistake and attempted to
resign Mikel through back door with the assistance Morgen Andersen,
then of Lyn Oslo, the media – both local and international – was awash
with all kinds of stories calling Shittu all forms of unprintable names.
Then, I told Dare
Esan, the editor of Complete Sports, even before I contacted Shittu,
that I have known him since April 1998 as a man of integrity, and that
all the reporters would swallow their words.
Esan, who had not
met Shittu then, took my words. I recall that shortly after that,
Shittu came to Nigeria, and Esan and I met him at Lagos Sheraton Hotel
and he showed us all the documents about Mikel’s transfer. The rest, as
they say, is now history.
Shittu was not only
vindicated with time, but Andersen, the controversial agent, was
sentenced to one year suspended sentence by a Norwegian court for
falsifying documents in relation to Mikel’s sale. Just as Shittu was
vindicated, I am positive he will be vindicated again.
Calling on Madam Waziri
Thankfully, Shittu,
whom Ogunjobi called a coward, has called on EFCC to investigate the
allegation “My hands are clean in this matter,” he said. “It is only in
Nigeria where the complainant will suddenly become the accused. This is
why I am calling on the EFCC to wade into the matter. It is clear the
investigative panel set up by the Presidential Task Force on Super
Eagles qualification for and participation in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
to investigate the matter, has not done a thorough job.” Shittu is
probably living in the past. The EFCC of today will not do anything
about it.
The practice of
upping coaches’ salaries, bonuses and allowances is not a new thing in
Nigeria, it is as old as the country’s football history. The reason why
we talking about it now is because Shittu and Hoddle did not play ball.
In the past,
members of the NFF, coaches and agents just ‘chop and clean mouth’.
Nigeria is the only country where coaches got sign on fees in the past.
And I believe Osasu
Obayuwana’s claim that a member Nigeria’s Presidential Task Force
confirmed to him that Lars Lagerback had accepted $675,000, but
overnight the wage jumped to $1.5 million for three months. Into whose
hands is the ‘extra’ money going?
We will know very
soon. If the local media and EFCC refuse to do their job, foreigners
will do it, and at the end of the day, the truth will be revealed and
the offenders will be put to shame. Impossible? Don’t bet against it.
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