The House of Representatives Wednesday ordered out the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr Mohammed Sanusi, from the venue of the investigation into the face-off between the nation’s female football team, Super Falcons and officials of the Federation over non-payment of allowances and entitlements.
Chairman of the House ad-hoc committee investigating the crisis, Hon. Blessing Onuh, who ordered the Secretary out of the meeting also summoned the NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau, to appear before the committee unfailingly.
Some members of the ad hoc committee consequently accused the chairman of the House Committee on Sports, Hon. Ekene Adams, of conniving with the NFF president to frustrate their assignment.
But at the sitting of the ad-hoc committee on Wednesday, the chairman, Onuh, however, summoned the NFF president.
Re-inviting the NFF president, Onuh said the sitting of the committee was not to witch hunt anyone but to discharge its functions in line with the mandate of the House.
Onuh frowned at Gusau’s deliberate refusal to honour the invitation of the ad-hoc committee.
According to her, the NFF president was supposed to appear before the committee on the August 17 but didn’t show up.
“Nigerians are interested, Nigerians are watching. The girls did extremely well and they made Nigerians proud, so we shouldn’t take this investigative hearing lightly.
“We gave an opportunity for the president of the NFF to appear before this ad-hoc committee, I will say invariably he is the one summoning us, he came up with an excuse that is not as important as what we have.
“The allowances and the dues that were supposed to be paid to the female footballers, the Super Falcons and he turned it down, what is more important is it for him to attend the FIFA Women Convention or to appear before this committee?
“And even at that he has the effrontery to send his aide to inform us of his unavailability, it simply means he is taking us for granted and we will not tolerate it,” she noted.
Speaking earlier, the NFF Secretary General, Dr Mohammed Sanusi said that the NFF president could not attend the investigative hearing because of his ill-health.
The ad-hoc committee, however, ordered him and the rest of the team out of the chamber.
