In response to ongoing disputes over the Kwara State Stadium’s pitch maintenance, the Kwara Football Association (FA) announced on Thursday in Ilorin that it would officially withdraw its services, News About Nigeria reports.
The FA also claimed it has evidence showing that funds collected from renting out the main bowl of the Kwara State Stadium Complex are being funnelled into private accounts.
FA Chairman Idris Musa addressed the media, stating that the decision was necessary to prevent further conflicts of interest.
Musa countered claims made by the Executive Chairman of the Kwara Sports Commission, Bola Mogaji, who alleged that N3 million had been remitted to the FA’s account.
Musa clarified that this was incorrect and that the money in question, N1 million, was allocated to the Sports Commission and not deposited into the FA’s account.
“Where did the N3 million come from? The only money we collected was N1 million from the 10 Nationwide League One clubs, which we paid into the commission’s account,” Musa said.
He explained that the delay in payment was due to staggered payments from the clubs, which the FA waited to collect in full before remitting to the Commission.
Musa said that their accounts are transparent and can be audited to disprove any allegations.
He accused certain individuals of directing payments into private accounts and stated that they have evidence to support this claim.
“We have enough evidence of payment of monies into private accounts, and not even the commission’s account or that of Kwara Internal Revenue Services. The only money we paid into the commission’s account was the N1m from the 10 NLO clubs,” he said.
Musa stated that withdrawing maintenance services is not a threat but a necessary action to address the misuse of revenue that should support the facility’s upkeep.
He said that the FA initiated and maintained the grass pitch to promote sports development in the state, aligning with FIFA and CAF’s preference for natural grass over synthetic turf.
He clarified that while the stadium facility belongs to the government, the Kwara Sports Commission is its caretaker.
The FA took on the maintenance responsibility due to the conversion of the pitch from artificial to natural grass two seasons ago, a project supported by A.U. Mustapha and funded by Kwara United Football Club.
