Former Super Eagles and Milan star Taribo West has added his voice to the weighty corruption allegations leveled against top NFF officials led by president Amaju Pinnick.
Human Rights Radio Abuja has in the past three weeks been presenting damning expose on the corruption at the NFF.
Today, Taribo said on the radio’s flagship programme ‘Brekete Family’ that the corruption has almost killed the national sport and it was time it was brought to a halt.
“We’re tired of people stealing what we worked hard for,” said the straight-talking Taribo on the programme.
“Football brings everybody together especially when the national team is playing, then there is no Hausa, no Efik, no Yoruba.
“But today, Nigeria football is sinking, it’s almost dead.
“And there’s almost no place where you can talk against those managing football (in Nigeria) because they have paid everybody.”
The no-nonsense defender in his playing days narrated the plight of the country’s team to the recent U17 World Cup in Brazil to underline how the country’s football has sunk due to corruption.
“I was with the team before they travelled to Brazil and they did not have water to drink when they trained, no jerseys, no medical,” lamented Taribo, who won a historic Olympic soccer Gold in Atlanta in 1996 and played at the 1998 and 2202 World Cups.
“If you wanted jersey, you had to ask from the girlfriend of the NFF president.
“The corruption is too much.”
The revelations against the NFF chieftains are coming leading up to December 16 corruption trial, which FCT High Court Judge Peter Affen is expected to rule for Pinnick and general secretary general Mohammed Sanusi to be joined as defendants in a case of the theft of over $10 million paid by FIFA for the development of football in the country.
Three account department staffers have already been arraigned in this matter.
