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Amaju Pinnick Fires Back: ” I Am Not Under A Travel Ban, NFF Account Transparent”

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7 years ago

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By Michael Effiong

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Melvin Pinnick has refuted reports that he has been slammed with a travel ban and is being investigated for fraud

He was reacting to the story in some online publications that the President has ordered his probe by the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission  ( EFCC ) over $16million FIFA funds and also placed him on a travel ban

In a series of tweets, the man who has been adjudged as the most successful President of Nigeria’s football governing body in recent times said that while the stories were making the rounds he was in Ghana!

Accordingto him” I am in Ghana for a meeting between the Nigeria Football Federation and CAF Partners , AITEO, I also have official engagements coming up in Senegal. In other words, no such ban is in place and no security agency has gotten in touch. The @nff recently published its audited accounts

” In Thisday Newspapers and Daily Trust on Thursday December 20, 2018 and on Tuesday  the 25th of December  2018 in the Vanguard Newspapers. In effect, our finances are open  for everyone to see. All incomes  from the  Federal Government, FIFA & CAF since 2014 are reflected.

” Before my appointment  into the FIFA Committees, I had to pass through intense integrity and eligibility tests. I was not found wanting. Two years ago, FIFA handed @nff a clean bill of health in our financial management. Our accounts are audited by Pwc.T he same firm that audits FIFA. So it is quite laughable whenever these stories come out. And they  come out, without fail, and from the same sources .Well I’ll be talking to my lawyers  to see what legal redress I can get but it will be nice

“If our media houses investigated these things before publishing.  I might not know every journalist in Nigeria but I do know a few in just about every media in the country.When these unfounded stories hit, it is our football that suffers.

NFF 2nd Vice President, Shehu Dikko, NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, NFF 1st Vice President, Seyi Akinwunmi & Femi Otedola

” Sponsors and prospective sponsors become wary of and about doing business  with us. Surely we can be more responsible in our reports? I’m hoping the more responsible media outlets will disregard these reports while assuring our partners and prospective partners that we are serious about taking our football upwards.”

 

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UK Court Acquittal: Diezani Goes Spiritual, Says God Will Always Be God

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3 days ago

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June 18, 2026

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Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, has reacted to her acquittal by a London court after bribery charges brought against her were dismissed.

The Southwark Crown Court in London, United Kingdom, on Wednesday acquitted the former minister of all charges, including five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Reacting to the judgment, Alison-Madueke expressed relief and said she and her family had endured years of emotional distress over the case.

Speaking to News Central, she said she has remained in the United Kingdom since the legal proceedings began 11 years ago.

She said: “I’m just thankful to God, it’s been arduous, almost 11 years. It’s been traumatic not just for me but for my family, friends, my 93-year-old mother in Port Harcourt and for my son.

“It has been a hard journey, but I tell you this, God will always do as He will. God will be God and God is not a man that He should lie; when He promises you something, He will see it through.

“For almost 11 years I have been here. I did my job to the best of my ability.”

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I Never Saw Report that Led to Natasha’s Suspension, Says Ireti Kingibe

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3 days ago

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June 18, 2026

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The lawmaker representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), at the Senate, Ireti Kingibe, says she did not see any report that led to the suspension of Kogi Central Senator, Natasha  Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Kingibe made this disclosure on Wednesday when she featured in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’.

She said she was at a retreat with Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, when she heard about the report.

“I never saw the report that led to Natasha’s suspension. I was at a retreat. I had earlier stated that I was there with three or four other senators who are members of the committee.

“We attended the Committee on Petitions and Public Complaints, signed the attendance register, and I later left for the tax reform retreat, which I considered more important at the time.

“It affects my constituents much more than disciplining a senator, and I figured that the other people who were not part of that committee would take care of it.

“I even complained to other Senators, specifically to Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe. I complained to him very bitterly that I had not seen that report. I didn’t see it then. I have not seen it till now,” she said.

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UK Court Clears Ex-Petroleum Minister Alison-Madueke of All Corruption Charges

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4 days ago

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June 17, 2026

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Former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke was on Wednesday found not guilty ​by a London jury of six bribery charges, after ‌a rare corruption trial of a high-profile former energy official.
Alison-Madueke, minister for petroleum resources between 2010 and 2015 under then-president Goodluck Jonathan, stood trial ​charged with five counts of accepting bribes and a ​charge of conspiracy to commit bribery, which she denied.
Prosecutors ⁠alleged Alison-Madueke, 65, was given “a life of luxury” in London ​from oil and gas industry figures seeking lucrative contracts in Nigeria, ​which has long grappled with mismanagement and corruption.
But the former minister, who was also briefly president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, ​said she never took any bribes and had no real ​influence over the awarding of lucrative government contracts.
After a trial at London’s Southwark ‌Crown ⁠Court, Alison-Madueke was acquitted by a jury of all six charges she faced after more than 46 hours of deliberation.
The not guilty verdicts are a major blow to British authorities, which began their ​investigation into corruption ​allegations against Alison-Madueke ⁠more than a decade ago.
Alison-Madueke stood trial alongside oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who was ​charged with one count of bribery relating to ​Alison-Madueke ⁠and a separate count of bribery of a foreign public official.
Alison-Madueke’s brother Doye Agama, 69, was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery ⁠with ​his sister relating to payments made to ​Agama’s church.
Both Ayinde and Agama denied the charges against them and were also ​acquitted by the jury.

Source: Reuters

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