In a bid to spread the growth and development of football around the world, the world football governing body, the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) initiated what it termed the FIFA GOAL Project.

The FIFA GOAL Programme was initiated by former FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter for the benefit of national associations and ratified by the 1999 Extraordinary FIFA Congress in Los Angeles. GOAL is a tailor-made development and assistance programme designed to realise projects based on the specific needs of national associations.

In 2020, FIFA approved the construction of two mini-stadiums in Nigeria ? one in Birnin Kebbi, and another in Ugborodo, Delta State. While the Kebbi project has been completed and commissioned and in use now, the Ugborodo project is stalled.

Former NFF President Amaju Pinnick, under whose tenure the contract was awarded is accusing the contractor Monimichelle Sports Construction Company, of breach of contract.

Meanwhile, the contractor is crying blue murder as he said he was tricked into signing the contract even before taking him to the site for inspection. The two parties are threatening court action and have stated their positions as published here:

This is Pinnick?s perspective as written by Azuka Chiemeka: Ugborodu FIFA Stadium Project and the betrayal of local content policy

In recent years, the Nigerian sports economy has witnessed a gradual but promising rise in local content participation, particularly in sportswear manufacturing. Homegrown brands like OWU, Zenith, Haggai, Cone, and manufacturers from Aba have become staples among Nigerian football clubs and in open markets. By reducing the need for imported kits, they help conserve foreign exchange, generate local employment, and contribute to the nation?s GDP.

With this positive trajectory, expectations naturally grew for indigenous players to expand into sports hardware production, facility development, and stadium construction. That expectation appeared to be answered in 2020 when FIFA, under its Forward 2.0 programme, approved the construction of two mini-stadiums in Nigeria ? one in Birnin Kebbi, and another in Ugborodo, Delta State.

At the time, then-President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, a native of Ugborodo, saw an opportunity to deepen the local content drive and positively impact his community. While the Birnin Kebbi project was awarded to Enron Construction, Pinnick advocated that the Ugborodo project be given to a Nigerian-owned firm. That firm was Monimichelle Sports Construction Company, led by Bayelsa-born Ebi Egbe with the agreement for the Construction of the NFF/FIFA Forward 2 project signed on the 15th of September, 2020.

The location of the project in Ugborodo was symbolic. As part of the oil-rich Escravos region, which contributes roughly 29% of Nigeria?s crude oil, the community has long felt marginalised in terms of federal infrastructure. The stadium was envisioned as a tool for inclusion, youth empowerment, and peace-building. It also carried an additional weight: an Ijaw man was being trusted with a landmark project in the heart of Itsekiri land.

Pinnick didn?t just push for the project ? he backed it. Reports indicate he personally funded initial documentation, secured necessary approvals, and even accompanied the contractor on familiarisation visits to Ugborodo elders and youth leaders to galvanise support.

Buoyed by this, the Delta State Government under Governor Ifeanyi Okowa awarded a contract for the construction of an access road to the site. Hopes were high. The community believed a long-awaited change was near.

But over four years later, that dream has become a source of bitter disappointment.

While the Birnin Kebbi stadium was completed and commissioned over two years ago, the Ugborodo project remains abandoned. Despite receiving $650,000?approximately 55% of the $1.1 million contract sum?in two tranches, Monimichelle?s work stalled after basic site clearing and an incomplete spectator stand.

In a 2022 interview with BSN Sports, the contractor confirmed receipt of the funds but claimed that about 15% was deducted by the NFF for taxes and bank charges, which he argued should not have applied. However, NFF sources insist all deductions were made in line with global best practices and that Enron Construction faced similar tax deductions without complaint.

What followed raised even more eyebrows. The contractor applied for a variation, arguing that he was unaware of the site?s difficult terrain because he had not visited it before accepting the contract?a revelation many deemed unprofessional and shocking for a company of Monimichelle?s claimed pedigree.

The NFF, after several site inspections, determined that the work done was not commensurate with the funds released. They insisted on further progress before releasing additional funds. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Monimichelle approached Pinnick for financial assistance to continue the project. Pinnick reportedly loaned him $100,000 and later ? 5 million, both backed by signed documents. But the project status didn?t change.

With no refund forthcoming, Pinnick petitioned the police. Monimichelle admitted to receiving the loans but claimed he would only repay once the NFF released the balance of the contract. Caught in the middle of a standoff, the NFF had no choice but to terminate the contract. Now, with FIFA?s reputation on the line, the NFF is considering collaboration with the National Sports Commission to complete the project, while also exploring legal avenues to recover the disbursed funds.

Unfortunately for Pinnick, what began as a legacy project for his community has morphed into a source of suspicion and political attacks. Critics like Yemi Otuedon have taken to social media, accusing him of using the stadium project as a front to acquire land ? a claim unfounded, as the land was not allocated to him.

Even worse, some critics have chosen to overlook Pinnick?s numerous contributions to the development of Itsekiri land. These include a FIFA-approved synthetic pitch in Ode-Itsekiri (Big Warri), which was commissioned by the Olu of Warri, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, alongside HRM Anselm Edonijie II, the Ojuromi of Uromi. He is also the sponsor of the popular ?Warri Again? concert, a platform that revitalises the city?s social life and gives a spotlight to young entertainers.

His Brownhill Foundation has built sports courts at Hussey College, Warri, and Government College, Ughelli ? his alma mater and the foundation has also provided indigenes and non-indigenes with scholarships worth over hundreds of millions of Naira annually.

To mention a few, the three children of my late colleague, the late Timi Ebikagboro, who passed on in 2017, whom all his children are all exclusively sponsored by the foundation.

Ironically, the Hussey College astro turf project, also awarded to Monimichelle, has suffered the same fate as the Ugborodo stadium: abandonment.

However, Pinnick is ever so determined to complete the Hussey College, Warri project for which over 90% payment of the contracted sum has been paid with a supply of construction materials for the project worth beyond the contract sum and currently there is another contractor on the bench ready to continue and finish the project immediately, but Pinnick is patiently waiting for the full termination of the contract with Monimichelle and conclusion of the Dispute resolution process concerning the project as currently the matter is in Arbitration in Lagos, in line with the terms of the Construction Agreement

Further complicating Pinnick?s ordeal is a long-running feud with fellow Itsekiri indigene Harrison Jalla, former chairman of the now-defunct National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF). Jalla has relentlessly accused Pinnick of corruption, filing petitions to FIFA and Nigerian law enforcement. Despite these accusations being dismissed by courts and security agencies, the smear has stuck in some quarters.

Their fallout is believed to stem from Pinnick?s refusal to award Jalla the contract to renovate the NFF Liaison Office in Lagos, citing insufficient capacity and the fact that the NFF headquarters in Abuja was still under construction.

In 2022, Pinnick filed a petition with the Inspector General of Police, urging that Jalla be charged with criminal defamation. That case is still ongoing at the Federal High Court in Warri.

Today, as the people of Ugborodo wait in limbo, the once-celebrated project has become a cautionary tale. A lesson in how good intentions, poor execution, and local politics can derail even the most promising efforts. While Pinnick has been cleared of any wrongdoing, the shadow cast by the failed project continues to follow him.

For FIFA, the NFF, and the people of Ugborodo, the only certainty is that they wait?for justice, for resolution, and for a stadium that now stands as a monument to both hope and heartbreak.

Pinnick has not treated this matter fairly. He assured us that we were going to get variation on the Ugborodo project because he was in FIFA Council. Even the Secretary General told me FIFA has agreed to give us variation on the Ugborodo project. The NFF and Amaju Pinnick are just playing games with the Ugborodo project.

The FIFA stadium construction was meant to be sited in Warri but Amaju and his men changed the project site to Ugborodo without recourse to the bill for constructing deep in the Athlantic ocean.

FIFA had 2 projects in Nigeria, one was sited in Kebbi state on a stable land with access roads at the cost of 1,119,000 USD.

The other one was meant to be sited in Warri South west Local Goverment for 1,080,000USD.

Amaju decided with his NFF guys and moved the project to Ogborodo.

I had zero opportunity to visit Ugborodo because I was told that Ogborodo was just around Warri town and it had accessible road from Warri.

I only realized Ugborodo was over 300 nautical miles deep in the Athlantic ocean without any road network on the day of site hand over. To make matters worse, the FIFA stadium was sited one meter to a river that has no embankment.

We had to move the project site 100 meters away from the River, even at that the site still got flooded.

We had to do land reclamation to safeguard the project. (which was not part of our bill)

I raised an eyebrow but the NFF and Amaju Pinnick assured us that I could put in variables to cover the cost of constructing deep in the Atlantic ocean and I trusted them. (Big mistake).

From the Surveyor the site plan given to us by the NFF, it shows the project was to be sited less than 1 meter to the Ogborodo back river that has no shore line protection. We raised an eyebrow about the site location. Amaju Pinnick, again, asked us to move the site 100 meters upland without recourse to the bill of quantity. We raised the issue of the cost implication with him, again he assured us that Ogborodo is his community and he is in charge of the NFF that we shouldn?t worry. He said he would take care of the situation( again we believed him, BIG MISTAKE).

Moving the project site 100 meters inward towards land placed the project site on a heap of sand that has 25% slope, the cutting down of the 25% slope took us almost 1 year using my company?s earth moving equipment to cut down almost 3 meters height on 10 hectares of land to the required level suitable for construction(Also not part of our bill)

The drawing handing over to us for the Ugborodo project was also not properly approved by the Delta state ministry of lands and Housing because the drawings were faulty and there was no way such drawings with pad foundation could be approved by any Structural engineer or an architect from Delta state Ministry of housing.

We raised an eyebrow about it. It took the NFF consultant six months to correct the faulty drawings that were approved by Delta state ministry of land and housing. I would share a video on the day the NFF consultant visited the site to change the drawings from pad foundation to full raft foundation for the Ugborodo Pavilion.

The fence foundation also needed to have full raft foundation, the NFF consultant promised to bring back a new set of corrected foundation drawings for the facility fence, it has been almost 3 years now, we are still waiting.

Am still wondering how a state Government agency could approve a faulty drawing.

We have had series of meetings with FIFA and the NFF about the Ugborodo project in Abuja.

In our last meeting, we resolved that FIFA/ NFF and Monimichelle Sports should appoint independent Quantity surveyors to Quantify the Ugborodo project.

FIFA/NFF quantity surveyors and Monimichelle sports quantity surveyors went to Ogborodo to quantify the level of work done by Monimichelle sports and evaluate the actual project cost.

When the evaluation report came out, Ogborodo project was valued at over 3.5 million dollars.

The NFF has only paid us 500,000 USD.

We have been sending several mails to the NFF without any reply.

Recently we even sent a letter to FIFA about our predicament with the Ugborodo project.

I worked too hard to build the brand Monimichelle Sports. Today we are an address in the sports construction world. I will not allow any individual to destroy my brand. Amaju is just black mailing me because he knows we know the job more than his proxy companies. We are ready to go to court. (Saturday Vanguard)

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