The 3.6 million euros (N884.8m) appropriated for health and safety measures ahead of the FIFA under 17 World Championship, beginning on Saturday, at 8 centres across the country, may have been misapplied as the Local Organising Committee, instead of buying new equipment, has gone for old equipment commandeered from state governments and teaching hospitals, a Peoples Daily investigation has revealed.Read more @ http://www.huhuonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=612:fifa-u-17-world-cup-loc-in-n885m-scam&catid=103:more-news&Itemid=333


The 3.6 million euros (N884.8m) appropriated for health and safety measures ahead of the FIFA under 17 World Championship, beginning on Saturday, at 8 centres across the country, may have been misapplied as the Local Organising Committee,

instead of buying new equipment, has gone for old equipment commandeered from state governments and teaching hospitals, a Peoples Daily investigation has revealed. Tongues are also wagging over the National Sports Commission’s decision to use $2.5 million to create awareness about and mobilise international support for the championship.Peoples Daily, over the weekend, learnt from impeccable sources that whereas the LOC, through the National Sports Commission, had sought supplementary appropriation for the purchase of the most sophisticated ambulances to meet the health and safety challenges of the cadet soccer fiesta, dilapidated ambulances have been retrieved from teaching hospitals and even local government councils for use during the championship.

It was further gathered that the LOC had persuaded the authorities under whose care the ambulances were placed, to release them, promising to refurbish them after the championship. They were also told that releasing the ambulances should be considered their contribution to national service and the reward would be an improved facility when the curtains come down on the championship.

Four mobile clinic/ambulances were taken from Katsina State and brought to the LOC’s secretariat in Abuja. Specifically, the ambulances were withdrawn from general hospitals in Daura, Dutsinma, the Katsina State Health Services Management Board and the Katsina State Highway Accident/Emergency Services.

Peoples Daily gathered that when he was the governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua, now Nigeria’s president, purchased the customised ambulances, fully equipped at the time, to assist health personnel to respond to emergency cases and accident victims.

A Katsina Government House source confided in Peoples Daily over the weekend that the ambulances were hired, not commandeered, by the LOC which, he said, agreed to “refurbish and upgrade” them at the end of the junior World Cup.

The Minister of Sports and chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) Engr. Sani Ndanusa, while confirming the supplementary appropriation, said the LOC, which is directly under the supervision of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, considered FIFA’s ever changing bar on standards and facility requirements before presenting a further request for funds.

FIFA, he said, had insisted on the provision of an helicopter to convey teams and officials from Ijebu-Ode to Abeokuta and Lagos during matches. “This requires addition cost which was not captured in the initial budget approved by the government”, he explained. “Again, we can assure Nigerians that we have met FIFA’s requirement even though its bar on standards sand organisational needs has been elastic. We need air ambulances, the most modern and sophisticated mobile/clinics at an additional cost. Six of these ambulances which are the best in the medical field at the moment will be assigned to each of the eight venues”.

Our investigation has revealed that some of the centres like Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna; Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu; Tensile Balogun Stadium, Lagos; Ijebu-Ode Stadium, Ogun State; and Tafewa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi have taken delivery of the ambulances withdrawn from university teaching hospitals.

Though the LOC would not say how much was paid for each ambulance, Peoples Daily learnt that payment was not uniform, a situation that has forced some people to question the rationale behind the differential payments.

In respect of generating international awareness and support, Peoples Daily learnt that the LOC is contemplating contracting an international news agency at the cost of $1.2 million and $1.3 million for production and placement of adverts at peak hours.

But this has not gone down well with members of the sub-committee on media who believe that much more impact would be made be if the money is deployed to mobilise the domestic media.

Though Ndanusa admitted that plans were afloat to stimulate international awareness and support for the championship, he insisted that efforts are equally being made to take the local media along. “We are hoping to use it to sensitise the rest of the world. We want the world to know what Nigeria is doing and we are working hard to meet FIFA’s standard.”

The minister said the LOC has equally paid attention to public mobilisation at the domestic level through the on-going Trophy Tour, which he said has had a tremendous impact in the host cities.

In spite of his assurances, members of the committee are sceptical about the sincerity of the objective, and have resisted efforts to effect placement of the advertisement in the international media being contemplated.

Peoples Daily recalls that a spate of contract scams has rocked the organisation of the championship from inception. Even the composition of the LOC had generated flaks while its $37.5 billion budget was rejected by government which threatened to jettison the hosting rights but rescind its decision after wide consultation with various stake-holders.

Aside from contract scandal, the 13th the FIFA U-17 Championship, which begins on Saturday and will end on November 15, has had preparation hiccups, a development that forced FIFA Vice President Jack Warner to describe Nigeria as unserious.

FIFA had to shift both the goal posts and dates to accommodate Nigeria’s organisational frailties. The championship was initially billed for September this year but after several visitations and inspection tours of facilities yielded no positive signals of Nigeria’s readiness, FIFA adjusted the dates further. Instead of working its talk, Nigeria responded by increasing the bidding centres from six to eight for political reasons, thereby compounding its problem.

Warner, who has rather been patronising of Nigeria, could not contend his disappointment any further and blasted Nigeria for being clearly unserious and lukewarm. He expressed FIFA’s regrets even as some members of the FIFA’s Executive Committee exchanged text messages calling for a drastic decision against Nigeria’s hosting rights.

However, Vice President Jonathan explained that the delay in the completion of facilities was due to a difficult budgetary procedure, but he assured that the process would be hastened up to meet the requirements.

But this again has been a mirage. The LOC ought to have handed over the facilities to FIFA last Monday, but that was not done because the facilities were far from ready. LOC vice chairman, Malam Mainasara Illoh, said the facilities were 97 percent ready but the special task force on security set up early last month said otherwise. FIFA though has declined making any further statement on the development but many Nigerians are apprehensive that the country may be in for a big embarrassment. By Patrick Andrew and Mohammed Isa (Culled from Peoples Daily)

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