Nigeria's Amos Adamu a FIFA executive committee member will face the ethics panel hearing of FIFA at its Zurich headquarter today.
He was alleged to have asked for a $800,000 bribe to guarantee his vote for one of the bidding nations for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He has however declared he's ready to face the committee later in the day.
There are few Nigerians that elicit as much passion when their names are mentioned as Amos Adamu. He is as hated as much as he is loved.
Those who love him describe him as a generous individual, quick to dispense cash and favours. Through this quality his has built up a sizeable army of foot soldiers in the Nigerian sports establishment; men and women who are ready at a moment’s notice, to walk through fire for him.
At the other end are his many haters, those who see him as the embodiment of all that is wrong with Nigerian sports. To these people, he has spent decades building an empire at the expense of Nigerian sports, which he was supposed to develop - first, as Director of Sports Development in the Ministry of Sports and then later as Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC).
Kojo Williams, a former Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association, NFA, who was impeached described the Adamu as a serious indictment of Nigeria. This is embarrassing. I think the Government should open all the papers on Adamu.
Ex-international, Adokiye laughed when he said, “Oyibo don catch am."
The Chief Justice said that there should be time to allow the appropriate quarters conduct investigation into the sordid scandal. “I think that we should allow time for them to conduct a thorough investigation first. But we know his antecedents. He hosted several tournaments without rendering accounts. He used his position as Director General of the National Sports Commission to acquire international positions. And it is so glaring that he used his positions in CAF and FIFA to serve his selfish ends. It is so embarrassing to this country."
Adamu has traversed the spectrum of Nigerian sports. A former university teacher, who holds a doctorate degree in Physical Education, he was appointed sole administrator of the Nigeria Football Association in 1992. A year later, he was appointed Director of Sports Development in the Ministry of Sports.
In 1999, he was actively involved in the organisation of the U-20 World Cup hosted by Nigeria and was also an intrinsic part of the organisation of Africa Cup of Nations jointly hosted by Nigeria and Ghana. That same year, he was chosen to head COJA, the organising committee of the 2003 All Africa Games, which Nigeria hosted.
Allegations of fraud rocked the organisation of the games and Adamu continues to face allegations of financial impropriety even though none of them has been proven. In 2005, he was named part of the organising committee of the 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa. The following year, he became a member of the FIFA Executive committee and in 2007 became President of the West African Football Union (WAFU).
In 2008, Adamu was transferred from the Ministry of Sports to the office of the Head of Service of the Federation.
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