By Victor Kanayo
Days after revealing match fixing arrangements by some football administrators in the Nigeria league system, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced the suspension of a top football official identified as Auwalu Baba Jada from all football-related activities.
Jada, who before now was a member of the newly constituted Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), according to NFF, was suspended pending investigations into a video that has been trending online for some days now.
In the said video, the IMC member was seen and heard calling out football authorities, particularly football club administrators, including himself, for aiding and abetting match fixing.
The video also exposed where he admitted being deeply involved in making sure that the club he once chaired, Wikki Tourists of Bauchi, won vital matches.
Wikki Tourist is one of the cureent clubs in the NPFL, the apex league in Nigeria.
A statement by NFF signed by its General Secretary Dr. Sanusi Mohammed on Tuesday November 1, 2022, said the suspension was also because Jada was a principal culprit in the match fixing claims.
Part of the statement reads, “Auwalu Baba Jada has been suspended from all football-related activities pending investigations into the video recording in which he is apparently the principal character. The investigations will be conducted by the ethics and integrity units of the Nigeria Football Federation.
“Auwalu Baba Jada will have no role in any football activity, event or programme until the investigations are concluded, and this also means he is summarily suspended from his membership of the Interim Management Committee of the Nigeria Professional Football League.”
Heritage Times HT reports that the organisation of the various Nigerian league has been enmeshed in several controversies in recent times owing to questionable officiating and outcome of matches.
