Following the controversy surrounding the $1.2m Kebbi mini-stadium project, former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has defended the award and execution of the contract, insisting it followed global standards and Nigeria’s procurement laws.
The project has been at the centre of public criticism since FIFA, in a social-media post, showcased the Kebbi facility as one of its Forward Programme achievements.
The move sparked outrage over its modest appearance despite its reported cost of $1.2 million.
The controversy prompted clarification from NFF Vice President and FIFA Forward Programme Manager, Shehu Dikko, who said in another PUNCH Online report that FIFA managed the project directly and that the NFF did not receive or disburse any part of the funds.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Thursday, Pinnick dismissed criticisms over the cost and execution of the project, stressing that the NFF followed global standards and FIFA procedures in its implementation.
According to him, the contractor, Aeron Construction Company, won the bid after an open tender process monitored in accordance with the Public Procurement Act.
“The processes, the protocols, the procedures that were used to award this contract were global and also in line with our public procurement acts.
“Tenders were made, you saw the tenders, and people bid for the job, companies bid for the job. The company that won the job to do the one in Kebbi is not new. Aeron Construction Company, the Abeokuta Stadium they used for the National Sports Festival, he built in 1999. He revamped it for the National Sports Festival.
“He was part of the building of this Teslim Balogun Stadium. He’s done a couple of stadiums. He is a guru in sports infrastructure. And he won the bid,” Pinnick said.
Pinnick explained that the Kebbi mini-stadium project, valued at $1.2 million (about ₦400 million at the time of award), was completed without cost variation, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“And what was the bid? When they say $1.2 million, $1.2 million at that point was N400 million. After going through the processes, he did everything he needed to do. So people should understand this. When I keep emphasizing that even in the face of COVID, there was no variation. Everything he had to do, N400 million at that point.
“They’ll produce a synthetic turf, you fly it in, you take it to Kebbi State, you do stabilization, you do the foundation, you do underground drainage, then come on, 400 million Naira for a project at that point,” he said.
The NFF president, who is also a FIFA council member, clarified that the project was funded through FIFA’s Forward Programme — a development initiative that supports member associations with infrastructure funding under strict guidelines.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com