By Azuka Chiemeka

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  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 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.

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