Unpaid Salaries: Sports Minister Absolves NFF, Faults Keshi.

Sports Minister and Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has attributed the inability of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to pay up the salary arrears of Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi and the rest of his technical crew to systemic failure.

Mallam Abdullahi, who disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, also queried the national team handler for going to the media on the issue, adding the coach should have given his employers time to resolve the matter, instead of presenting it before the media.

“If NFA is having problems paying Keshi’s salary, it means that the system has a problem and that system has to be addressed,” Abdullahi said.

Coach Stephen Keshi.
Coach Stephen Keshi.

“It is unfortunate that Keshi has to bring out the issue of his salary and make it a media issue, because it is something that can be addressed internally.”

He said the NFF and the NSC are working out the best possible solution towards ensuring that Keshi’s salary is being paid as and at when due, but insists the issue should not have been brought into public domain.

“We are taking the right steps to support the NFF to meet this obligation. But, for me, it is not something that is supposed to be a media issue. However, do you boycott working or call a press conference because somebody owes you salary? When you get a job you do it and you don’t go about embarrassing your employer because your salary is delayed,” Abdullahi added.

8 COMMENTS

  1. with my respect for the sports minister, i disagree with him over this. NFF failed and they should apologize. Keshi has a right and he has not fault for talking to media over his salary.

    Lets do that which is right.

    God bless Nigeria.

  2. I applaud the super eagle coach on going to the media to broadcast the issue of the NFF not paying his salaries because this has open up their secret and corrupt practice of our government and Mr Sport Minister (Bolaji Abdullahi) why should you wanna fault Keshi, do you know the kind of job he has be doing and now you all want to pay him his salary.

    Please Mr Bolaji Abdullahi i have one question for you as the minister of sport has any day or seconds the federal government does not pay you all your salary and expenses? Please answer that question because you have to right or excuse to owe Keshi the Nigeria coach his salary because i called this an act of wickedness and ingratitude.

  3. I applaud the super eagle coach on going to the media to broadcast the issue of the NFF not paying his salaries because this has open up their secret and corrupt practice of our government and Mr Sport Minister (Bolaji Abdullahi) why should you wanna fault Keshi, do you know the kind of job he has be doing and now you all don’t want to pay him his salary.

    Please Mr Bolaji Abdullahi i have one question for you as the minister of sport has any day or seconds the federal government does not pay you all your salary and expenses? Please answer that question because you have no right or excuse to owe Keshi the Nigeria coach his salary because i called this an act of wickedness and ingratitude.

    Please lets try and do whats right to move this nation forward

  4. Don”t mind d so called Minister,is he not collecting his own salary evry month plus all d free cars,housing,free fuel n other sundry benefits he is enjoying as a minister of sport in naija,himself n d NFF people are rogues.

  5. Owoblow or what do you call yourself? You obviously are an unfortunate and misfortuned fellow! What do you know about these issues. And I must say you are an idiot who has refused to be well trained for calling the NFF and Minister names. Why don’t you pray to God to take you to higher places instead of getting disgruntled over your misfortune.
    As for Keshi, reporting your employers is not the solution. As much as you have the right to complain , you should also be courteous of not washing your dirty linen in public. You are worse than the NFF anyway just that Nigerian don’t know the antrocities you commit in the national team. They think the eagles successes are singlehandedly your efforts! You demand respect from your players but you cannot respect those that gave you a job when you came crying of joblessness. Tell Nigerians how they rallied round to give you a house when you were homeless and suffering. It is this same NFF that you will mot hesitate to disgrace over late payment of a month salary.
    All the same,NFF should look for money and pay him. At least he’s worked really hard. Lobatan

  6. …The problem with our gov’t is that if you do not shout or go on strike nobody listen to you. Keshi shouted.His employers should burying their faces in shame instead of defending their ineptitude. Its disgraceful that the national team coach is owed arrears of salaries and a sport minister who has been receiving his salary when its due is saying he should not complain. How many white coaches have they treated this way? Rubbish.

  7. Notyourconcern you are a shame to humanity for supporting the evil doings and saying of the minister and the NFF…how many months salary is FG owing the minister or the NFF officials…they are just there looting public funds for their own selfish interest…imagine them slashing the bonus of a team that has produced 100 percent result and owing the technical crew…and now frowning for being exposed…I’m sure your father or urself is part of those useless leaders siphoning our money…I’m sure one day nemesis shall catch up wit all of you…shameless people owing someone as much as 7 months salary shame on you mr minister and your cohorts

  8. What baffles me is no one has bothered to ask how many months salary arrears Keshi is being owed. If it is more than a month, then both the NFA, NFF and our darling minister are wrong.How long does It take to correct whatever error that could have arose?