Gusau Admits Diverting AFN Sponsorship Funds Into Private Account

Engr Shehu Ibrahim Gusau

LAGOS – Embattled president of the Athletics Federation of Ni­geria, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, has admitted to diverting PUMA Sponsorship funds worth $30,000.00 into private account as against Federal Government’s directive that such funds be lodged into the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

While admitting this in an interview with AIT, he also revealed that Sports Minis­try was also guilty of this as funds meant for the feder­ation was always paid into private accounts before the treasurer will withdraw and disburse to them.

Another reason he gave for flouting the Federal Govern­ment’s directive was because government officials would likely misappropriate such funds, since officials of the AFN had no direct control over the account.
Making reference to the $130,000 mistakenly paid into the government ac­count by World Athletics and which sports ministry officials misappropriat­ed, he said that he would be naïve to pay the PUMA sponsorship funds into the government account.

According to him, as pres­ident of the AFN, he was not aware when the $130,000 from World Athletics was paid into the account and if this mon­ey was misappropriated, he would be naïve to deposit PUMA money into the same account.
He also alleged that no banks in the country would allow the AFN to open any, saying that as AFN president, he had not signed any cheque.