From champions to activists… the Super Falcons have now been assured that they will receive their emoluments soon. PHOTO: CAF
NFF thank Buhari, pleads for understanding
The Senate Committee on Youth and Sports has assured the Super Falcons of their commitment to ensure that the Federal Government paid their bonuses and allowances. The committee has also promised to investigate the activities of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to ascertain why it failed to settle the emoluments owed the African champions.
Assuring the Falcons that the Federal Government would live up to its obligations to them, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Obinna Ogba, said: “Let me inform you that my Committee has been mandated to investigate the activities of NFF with regards to the faceoff, but I assure you that having made the nation proud, you will be paid.
A member of the Committee, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, expressed discontent at the manner they were treated, while calling for patience to enable the Committee to mediate in the matter.
“The Senate will investigate activities of NFF because this type of issues has been a recurring decimal in the agency,” he added.
Meanwhile, the NFF has thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for directing that players and officials of African champions, Super Falcons be paid within days, following the team’s protest at the Three Arms Zone on Wednesday.
“We are grateful to the Presidency for the prompt action, and we believe this will put the minds of the players at rest. It has been a very difficult time for the NFF; no official of the Federation was happy that the players and officials could not be paid their entitlements immediately after the tournament.
“It is not as if the Federation did not plan to pay the players and officials their entitlements. The NFF expected some money from a number of sources but this did not work out. They are champions and deserve to be treated as such; there are no doubts about that,” Ademola Olajire, NFF’s Director of Media and Communications, said yesterday.