The General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mohammed Sanusi, has defended the federation’s decision to terminate the contract for the construction of the FIFA-funded mini stadium in Ugborodo, Delta State, citing the contractor’s failure to return to the project site within the stipulated timeframe.
According to Sanusi, the contractor, Monimichelle Sports, had received about $500,000 for the project but failed to resume work despite being given multiple deadlines.
The Ugborodo facility is one of two mini-stadiums funded under the FIFA Forward Programme, which supports football development projects across FIFA’s member associations. Both the Ugborodo and Birnin Kebbi projects were estimated at $1.2 million each. While the Birnin Kebbi stadium has been completed and in use for nearly two years, work at the Ugborodo site remains stalled.
However, Monimichelle Sports, led by its CEO Ebi Egbe, has filed a ₦10 billion lawsuit against the NFF, alleging illegal contract termination, defamation, and misleading the public.
In a statement shared on social media, Egbe said,
“Corruption is a pervasive issue in Nigerian football, and Monimichelle Sports will not contribute to it. We are currently in court with the NFF over the illegal termination of our contract without due process. We are also suing for ₦10bn in damages for defamation.”
The NFF, however, maintains that the contractor was given a two-week ultimatum earlier in the year to return to the site but failed to comply, leading to the contract’s termination.
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