Governing Bodies
For the love for football, Baba Ijebu makes 1st public outing in 18 months
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Premier sports betting mogul, Chief Kesington Adebukunola Adebutu, CON better known as ‘Baba Ijebu’, made his first public outing on Monday at the Eko Hotel when he attended the modest but colourful ceremony where his gaming outfit, Premier Lotto signed a partnership agreement with the Nigeria Football Federation.
Most likely, he was not expected to attend the event, but he made an appearance which prompted the NFF Chieftain, Amaju Pinnick to bend on his knees to receive him.
Baba Ijebu later announced that his attendance was his first outing in 18 months. He remarked that he opted to personally attend as a way of giving back to the sport – football – which launched him into financial prominence.
“Am personally here because of the importance I attach to this ceremony…I made my money from football”, he said pointing out the breakthrough he had in the 1970s when he set up the ‘Face to Face Million Dollars Pools.
According to him, before he ventured into the business, pool betting in Nigeria was dominated by the Lebanese.
“Because we are Nigerians, the citizens supported us and we were able to diversify”, remarked Baba Ijebu who termed his gesture as a way of giving back to the nation’s lead sport that launched him into financial prominence.
Before Baba Ijebu’s remarks, NFF president reeled out the hitherto unannounced gestures that the kind hearted man had done to the Super Eagles.
Pinnick recalled the night of the 17 November 2016 World Cup qualifying tie with Algeria when he got a call from broadcast legend, Bisi Olatilo who told him that Baba Ijebu wanted to speak with him.
The NFF president said that he was shocked by the brief and effective remarks by Baba Ijebu who told him of his excitement of watching the Super Eagles as they beat Algeria. “He announced a donation of N50 million to the team which was promptly paid.”
A much delighted Pinnick heaped plaudits on Baba Ijebu, saying the generosity and philanthropy of the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Premier Lotto Limited is renown globally.
“The NFF and the entire Nigeria Football family is grateful to you for the work you are doing to remodel and upgrade our beloved National Stadium, Lagos. I also remember acts of generosity from you to the various National Teams particularly the Super Eagles. You are a great and wonderful man and we pray that you spend many, many more years in good health and in joy.
“Today’s event makes me very happy because it takes us even closer to the financial autonomy that we so much desire, so that we can remove entirely the burden the of funding the national teams from the government. Premier Lotto is a company with high integrity and we are happy to have this relationship with Chief Adebutu and the company.”
An overjoyed Chief Adebutu, who donned a black track suit, said Premier Lotto felt a sense of fulfillment to finally have a relationship with the NFF and the national teams, and praised the work that Pinnick and his board has been doing to grow Nigeria Football even in these challenging times.
The partnership agreement, which confers on Premier Lotto Limited (fondly referred to as Baba Ijebu)
the status of the Official Gaming Partner of the National Teams, is for four years in the initial.
Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied reports of an outstanding debt to former captain Christian Chukwu and has challenged anyone with verifiable documents to prove otherwise.
Chukwu, a former national team captain and chief coach, died last Saturday.
The Nigeria Football Federation decried statements in a section of social media that the football-ruling body was indebted to the deceased.
Reacting to one statement on social media that claimed NFF owed the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning team captain the sum of $128,000, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said: “There is no record in the NFF of any outstanding indebtedness to ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu.
“During the first term of the Board headed by Amaju Pinnick, a committee was set up to diligently peruse the papers of coaches who were being owed, even from previous NFF administrations.
“That committee was given the clear mandate to verify all debts and ensure that the coaches being owed were paid immediately. I am aware that the ‘Chairman’ was in the employ of the NFF between 2002 and 2005, before he was relieved of the post following the 1-1 draw with Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Kano in August 2005. There is certainly no record of indebtedness to him in the NFF.”
Sanusi challenged anyone with genuine and verifiable documents of NFF indebtedness to any coach, who has worked with any of the National Teams over the past two decades, to come forward and tender those documents.
“As a credible organization that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately.”
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