Sally Mbanefo, engaged
in physical fight in Brazil, while
attempting to cover up alleged fraud

The Director General of the Nigeria
Tourism Development Commission
(NTDC) Mrs. Sally Uwechue-
Mbanefo may be doing everything
possible to cover up an alleged fraud
in her participation in the ongoing
Brazil 2014 World Cup after a failed
attempt to chew up a piece of
incriminating document in a Brazilian
hotel June 18.
She has asked for a meeting with
President Goodluck Jonathan to
explain her role in the alleged fraud
that is threatening her credibility, The
Nigerian Times learnt on Monday.
Mbanefo was alleged to have diverted
an undisclosed amount of money
meant for the sponsorship of a
proposed Nigerian Fan’s village in
Brazil, after which she asked for the
Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) between her and Za
Entertainment, the contractor for the
project; tore it and began to chew the
paper. Her attempt to chew and
swallow the MoU led to a physical
altercation between her and President
of Za Entertainment, Mr. Azania
Omo-Agege who held her tightly
forcing the papers out of her mouth.
The NTDC in conjunction with the
National Sports Commission and
Nigeria Olympics committee had
planned a tourism village also known
as Fan’s village in Sao Paulo Brazil to
last the duration of the World Cup, in
order to showcase Nigeria’s rich
culture, tourism assets, entertainment,
cuisine and investment opportunities,
as well as, where fans could unwind
and have fun.
A reliable source who spoke to The
Nigerian Times disclosed that
Mbanefo, who was initially not
interested in the project, took it over
after she discovered that the efforts of
the project committee and the
contractors were already yielding
financial results.
The source said: “The project
committee sent letters to state
governments, sister agencies and
banks, soliciting sponsorship and
partnership since the DG made it clear
that the NTDC will not fund or take
responsibility for the project.
“A mandate letter signed by the DG
was given to Mr. Rufai Ladipo, the
CEO of Agile Marketing Company
who went around with the brochure,
marketing the project and seeking
funds.
“After some banks have indicated
their support for the project, the DG
then changed the receiving bank
account from that of the contractors to
NTDC account and immediately
cancelled the marketer’s contract.
“She then picked about three
journalists, her daughter and Omo-
Agege, without any member of the
NTDC project committee and went to
Brazil.
“In Brazil, Omo-Agege took her to the
project site which he had committed
to paying for, but the DG refused
giving him any money but opted to
rent a hotel room which she decorated
as a fan’s village.
“When Omo-Agege confronted her
about the issue, she requested to see
the MoU of the contract, which she
collected, tore and attempted to chew
the paper but Omo-Agege grabbed,
twisted her hand and retrieved the part
of the paper that has her signature.
“Omo-Agege is now in trouble in
Brazil for his inability to make
payment for his commitments there.”
The Nigerian Times contacted Mr.
Azania Omo-Agege, President of Za
Entertainment who was contracted by
the NTDC to build and operate the ill-
fated fan’s village in Brazil and he
corroborated our source.
He said: “The situation is that I came
into partnership with the NTDC board
to build the Fan’s village in which we
went around looking for funds, as I
was told that the funds will have to
come from the private sector.
“The monies were remitted into
NTDC account and I went to Brazil to
secure the venues and hotel
accommodations.
“Sally Mbanefo, all of a sudden
cancelled all the plans that we had and
went ahead to do a sham Nigerian
football fans village in a hotel room in
Brazil.
“When we got there, we had serious
arguments and I told her it was a
breach of agreement and she insisted
on doing a fans village for one or two
days. I told her she cannot do a fan’s
village for one or two days as it was
not what we had sent out to the
organizations funding the project.
“Za entertainment will have nothing to
do with a sham fan’s village in a hotel
room.
“I didn’t have money to do anything
in Brazil as planned as all the money
was supposed to come from NTDC.”
When asked to confirm the alleged
confrontation between him and the
DG, he said: “We had an altercation in
Brazil. When we were at the reception
of the hotel, she asked me for my copy
of the MoU of the project that we
signed and I went upstairs to my hotel
room and I brought it to her.
“There were five persons present at
the reception with us: the labour
leader from NTDC, a journalist form
The Nation Newspaper, Omolola from
Thisday Newspaper and another lady
from NTA.
“Immediately she got hold of the
MoU, she tore it into pieces and began
to chew it; I then grabbed her and took
the remaining pieces from her asking
why she was doing that?
“Till today, she has not given me an
answer to that.”
He added that the budget for the
project was between 40million and
50million Naira.
“Brazil is packed with Nigerian fans
and it is just a shame what NTDC has
done, she stooped so low to do this.
“I heard from the grapevine that some
banks paid some money to her but I
can’t confirm that. What I can say is
that we spoke to banks like Zenith
bank and they promised to partner
with us on the project. If there was no
money at all, all she could have done
was to cancel the event from here but
she didn’t do that.
“I was under the impression that there
was money, because I insisted that if
there was no money given to me, I
wouldn’t go to Brazil, but she
prevailed on me that she would make
the money available when we got to
Brazil,” he said.
Mr Rufai Ladipo of Agile Marketing
Company who was given the contract
to market the project and raise funds
for it stated his part of the story to The
Nigerian Times.
He said: “Two weeks to the
tournament, we had an MoU that
includes how much we were going to
be paid and I went around seeking for
funds for the project.
“From information available to me,
about four banks may have paid
money to her and we have not seen
anything and the failure of the fan’s
village project should be blamed on
the NTDC.
“We did everything possible to help
them but unfortunately it has ended
the way it did.

“The brochure provided that all
payments be made to either our own
account or Omo-Agege’s account but
that was not done. I also understand
that some banks gave them money and
the people at the NTDC should be
able to account for that.”
When The Nigerian Times called to
speak with the NTDC boss, her aide
promised that she would call back as
she was in a meeting, but instead her
lawyer who identified himself as
Barrister Mark Ibrahim called to say
he had been asked to speak on her
behalf.
He said: “The NTDC entered into an
agreement with one Mr. Azania Omo-
Agege the President of Za
entertainment and the agreement
provides that Omo-Agege who is the
initiator shall source the funds and
drive same and shall also construct the
village and maintain same for the
entire duration of the world cup.
“Her contention is that these two
things were not done by them; there
was no village built as contracted,
instead of that, Omo-agege was now
asking for more money after he had
already been given $10,000 before
leaving Nigeria.
“He was not ready to fulfill his own
part of the agreement but the DG had
to use one of the rooms in the hotel in
which she stayed as a mini fan’s
village in order not to disappoint
Nigerians.
“According to her the man was
supposed to raise funds for all that but
refused to do so.”
The lawyer denied any altercation
between the DG and the contractor
claiming her kind of person would not
do such. He however accused Omo-
Agege of threatening his client in
Brazil.
Source: www.nigeriantimes.ng/news/brazil-2014-fans-village-how-ntdc-dg-sally-mbanefo-engaged-in-physical-fight-in-brazil-while-attempting-to-cover-up-alleged-fraud/