Any patriotic Nigerian holding a public office or engaged in activism for a better country should expect the entrenched and endemic corruption in the Nigerian system to fight back.
The Okoi Obono Obla’s case is a gang-up by some filthy hands in President Muhammadu Buhari’s Government as well as the opposition party to halt a progressive fight against corruption.
Those corrupt elements in our constituency – Nigeria football – who are celebrating Obono Obla’s suspension are wasting their time because he will come out clean after the Investigation.
And Obla couldn’t have been the problem of Amaju Pinnick and his gang.
Before the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP) charged the NFF officials to court, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were already in court against Amaju Pinnick and his gang in charge number CR/324/18 before Hon. Justice Affen of the Federal Capital Territory High Court.
And as we speak the Lagos zonal office of the EFCC has JAFARU FADANARI MAMZA, a chief accountant with the NFF in its custody for several weeks at the commission’s detention facility at Okotie-Eboh Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
This was after the EFCC released Mike Itemuagbor, CEO of Padmozi Sports Marketing Company, the exclusive marketing consultants to the NFF.
The commission detained him for two days in the course of investigating several billions of Naira of NFF sponsorship funds alleged to have been looted.
In the coming weeks it will be clearer whether or not Obono Obla as Chairman of SPIP was biased against Amaju Pinnick and his gang or he was lawfully discharging his duties as head of an anti-graft agency in Nigeria and whether other anti-graft agencies in Nigeria are also biased against Pinnick and his gang.
Nobody, not even President Buhari or any Attorney General, can save Pinnick and his gang because the impunity and recklessness they applied in embezzling, stealing and laundering the funds of the NFF is unprecedented and mind boggling.
So, it will be wishful thinking to assume they can hang on to office while facing trial.
The NANF can assure well-meaning Nigerians that as soon as Pinnick and his gang are arraigned on September 26, 2019, they have lost every moral authority to parade themselves as NFF officials until they clear themselves of all corrupt charges.
In the meantime, we are taking notes of all their scheming and desperate efforts to evade justice.
HARRISON JALLA, President NANF
