Nigeria: Allegation Of Corruption Against, Pinnick Is Malicious, Unfounded – Says Arewa Group

A group, Arewa Youth Assembly has thrown its weight behind the Chairman of the Nigerian Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick over allegation of corruption levelled against him, describing it as malicious and a vendetta.

The group was reacting to what it called fabricated reports in the media by some “disgruntled people” accusing Amaju Pinnick of gross misconduct and abuse of office involving $8.4m FIFS grant and N4bn allegedly moved out of NFF account without the consent of the football federation

A statement signed by the Speaker of the Assembly, Mohammed SALIHU Danlami and made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Kaduna, Northwest Nigeria, frowned at the allegation, saying it was an attempt to damage the image of the accused person.

The group explained that in spite of the collective resolve to battle corruption, every accused person is innocent before the law, until proven otherwise, saying that Amaju should be treated with the same guiding principle.

“For avoidance of doubt which is a collection of slanderous, malicious, mind boggling rumours and a figment of the imagination of cluster of individuals who have refused to come out of mediocrity and poverty of the mind which has befallen them.

“These individuals who went round and round in a rigmarole style peddling all manners of unfounded rumours, we like to take the matter from the point view of the fact that they foolishly sold out their pay masters when they averred inter alia to pull the hard earn name of Amaju down”, the group frowned.

“It is a pity that a few disgruntled people in this jet age when information is let out at the speed of lightening will sit in the comfort of their home to concoct and fabricate bare face lies just to discredit a man who has worked tirelessly and is still working in the interest of the country.

“Arewa Youth Assembly is indeed gladdened that this same people and their sponsors of the blackmail, hallucinatory fantasies, scurrilous publication well published and circulated in various newspapers, personal vendetta and cacophony of discordant notes in the name of corruption will not stand”.

The Arewa Youth Assembly further stated that no amount of distraction by the incessant accusation of tribalism can deter Amaju Pinnick from performing his constitutional role as the current serving NFF president.

According to the group, Amaju has exhibited competence and character, noting that he is a man who has placed Nigeria on the world map of sport development.