Salisu Yusuf Fraud: Where is Buhari’s EFCC? Where is ICPC? News

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Salisu Yusuf Fraud: Where is Buhari’s EFCC? Where is ICPC?

By Daily Sports on September 10, 2018

Daily Sports celebrate with the teeming fans of the beautiful game in the country as the Super Eagles bounced back to reckoning in 2019 AFCON to be held in Cameroun by defeating Seychelles at the Stade Linite on the Mahe island (home to the capital city), Victoria. Not many knew that it was a difficult game. To many fans, it was not a match to lose sleep over because of the pedigree of our immediate dispatched opponents in the round leather game. However, analysts and pundits that knew their onions agreed with this reporter that playing a minnow could be tricky as many unexpected factors pop themselves up.

Nevertheless, the country got its ambition to fly her flag in Africa’s biggest football summit back on track.

However, as Nigerians were warming up for the above, the so-called Chief Coach of the Super Eagles, Salisu Yusuf’s dirty deals were unveiled and sadly the Nigeria Football Federation’s Ethics Committee iced Yusuf stealing by tricks. The rubber stamping of his misdeed leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Sports Pulse would examine this week why with the NFF’ Ethics Committee verdict on the vexed issue, the so-called anti-corruption agencies are looking helplessly because of who is involved as well as the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung’s misadventure in sports and the huge embarrassment he has caused the country since he was appointed to oversee the terrain he knew next to nothing.

The controversial man from Plateau State has been a grand ridicule and shame of Nigeria sports.

All said and done, last weekend’s victory meant that the stage is now set as the qualification rounds get underway. The sports arena, especially football has attracted to itself huge attention though negatively.

For instance, if it is not the Sports Minister Solomon Dalung circus show in the unfamiliar arena he mistakenly found himself, it is Salisu Yusuf the self-acclaimed best coach that even aspired to head Super Eagles squad once upon a time. For the records, Yusuf blackmailed NFF leadership into appointing him as the senior national team’s Chief Coach; a position he has used to swindle.

It is instructive to note that the Borno State born sweat merchant got to the Super Eagles top job through what can easily be likened to ‘gunpoint and blackmail’ and within that space of time quickly used it to enrich himself.

Yusuf’s misrule as a coach is in the public domain. After an initial denial of the act, more evidence against him was tendered and he admitted receiving a bribe to betray his country.

For the records, I have met Yusuf only thrice all at Enyimba International Stadium, Aba when he was in charge of the most viable and successful team in the country. Out of the three encounters, I held one on one interview with him once while the other two was post media conference.

In all, he never impressed me as an exceptional team handler but what I discovered is that he is just a lucky coach who has used such to climb the ladder until his eventual crash. One is tempted to believe that it is a game he was used to playing in the local scene until he was exposed internationally. Without any prejudice, I don’t see him as an intelligent performing coach either but as an opportunist that has used only God knows what to convince top club managers in the country to engage him. In short, Yusuf is a non-performer in every sense of the word or if you like, a pretender of the highest orders. To say the very least, one is still at a huge loss to pinpoint why EFCC and ICPC are looking the other way in this obvious corrupt practices of Yusuf. Many thought by now Salisu Yusuf would have been cooling his heels in the cell of the above agency. Shamefully the reverse is now the case. Yusuf is still working as a free man in the streets of Abuja, to wit, a sacred cow whose unwarranted latitude makes the anger of many objective observers run over.

Let me say that the way and manner this clear case of corrupt enrichment by Yusuf is being handled by the authorities is ominous. There are people from certain parts of the country that if they had been in the present shoe of Yusuf or even less, the EFCC would have gone after them.

I am yet to see this kind of encouragement of corruption. What will be the excuse of these agencies why Yusuf has not been invited for questioning? He must come and explain himself as that would be fair enough. The partialities of these agencies are worrisome. The era of selective justice that has come to become the norm of the present administration should be unreservedly condemned in stronger terms as natural justice demands that what is good for the goose is equally good for the gander.

This is what the NFF Committee on ethics came out with on a grievous and daylight offence by Salisu Yusuf. Needless to emphasise here that it is being handled with kid gloves and must be reversed forthwith. It showed the unseriousness that has enveloped the entire NFF. Nigeria is again on the wrong side of the news yet this government will flaunt that it is fighting corruption.

All its actions and inactions have shown clear hypocrisy in all its ramifications.

"Super Eagles Coach Salisu Yusuf Gets One-Year NFF Ban For Receiving Cash Gift Description: http://www.dailysportsng.com/images/news/yusuf.jpg Super Eagles Chief Coach, Salisu Yusuf, has been handed a one year ban from all football-related activities and $5,000 fine by the Nigeria Football Federation’s Ethics and Fair Play Committee. The punishment is the fallout of the coach’s involvement in a sting operation in which he was filmed receiving $1,000 from undercover reporters posing as players’ agent. The committee headed by former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) boss, Nuhu Ribadu, indicted the former Kano Pillars gaffer for accepting the cash gift of $1,000 offered by Tigers Player’s Agency, an undercover reporter, purportedly interested in acting on behalf of players Osas Okoro and Rabiu Ali, for their inclusion in the list of players for 2018 CHAN Competition in Morocco. It also found as a fact that it was not an error of judgment on the part of Coach Salisu Yusuf but a conscious and deliberate decision to have accepted the cash gift of $1,000 from the decoy player agent/undercover reporter, purportedly interested in acting on behalf of Players Osas Okoro and Rabiu Ali, even though the evidence before the Committee did not establish that his conduct influenced the choice of the two players. “The two Players could have made the team to 2018 CHAN Competition in Morocco on the basis of their talent and performance. “Coach Salisu Yusuf did not accept the offer of 15% of the anticipated transfer fees of the said players, as there was no follow-up action on the promise. The act of the Coach, which was widely published on the British Broadcasting Corporation, has a damaging effect on the reputation and integrity of Nigerian Football, as he ought to have conducted himself more professionally in line with the Code of Conduct signed alongside his Contract with the Nigeria Football Federation, as his conduct in public and in secret should be exemplary, since coaches are role models,” observed the NFF committee.

As also reported by THISDAY, "NFF’s Integrity Unit headed by Dr. Christian Emeruwa commenced a preliminary investigation into the matter when the documentary showing Yusuf receiving the $ 1,000 was first aired by BBC. Emeruwa’s report formed the basis for the banning of the coach by the Ribadu-led Ethics Committee. Yusuf was an assistant to Gernot Rohr at the recent World Cup in Russia and led Nigeria to the final of the Championship of African Nations (CHAN) in Morocco. Other members of the Committee include; Alhaji Mainasara Illo (Member), Reverend Justin Chidi Okoroji (Member) and Joshua Onoja (Secretary)."

Analysts believe that this nonsense where some people get punished while others that commit such crime walk freely beating their chest even as they also enjoy their loot is nauseating. It remains discouraging and calls for questioning. As I conclude this article, I am sad about this upsetting issue at hand. There must be a way forward and that is to come to equity with clean hands. Let me just give a passing comment on the absurdity called Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung and his constant display of ignorance which knows no bounds. I have come to understand that the best to do is to turn your eyes the other way whenever Dalung is swimming in his mess. It would be recalled that he is one Sports Minister that shot himself on the foot and should be allowed to lick his wounds.

It should be made clear that he cannot stop Pinnick Amaju from contesting the Presidency of the NFF come September 20, because he has no power, not even the dictatorial government he has been misleading.

After soiling his hands in many dirty deals, thereby losing his relevance, Dalung is now shouting wolf where there is none. As a drowning man, he should not be given any lifeline to hold for survival. What is happening to him now is best for him and typical fall back of people like him that later bite the fingers that fed them. Nobody should pity him rather let him face it squarely. We will celebrate the clay-footed fall of Dalung and his cronies as they bury their heads in shame. Let us resort to our Twitter handle and other social media platforms to discuss further. It is obvious that the struggle would continue. Keep shooting hard till next!!

Source Daily Sports

Posted September 10, 2018