By David Uka
Maurice Mbam, Chairman of the Abakaliki Football Club Supporters Club, has denied allegations of embezzling funds meant for supporters after the President's Federation Cup competition at Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Lagos State.
Mbam in an interview with Journalists in Abakaliki denied tampering with the N4 million naira given to the club by the State governor, Chief Francis Nwifuru.
He stated that one of the ways he could support the administration of Governor Francis Nwifuru was his contribution in ensuring the rapid development and growth of football in Ebonyi State.
Mbam disclosed that on his return from Lagos after the President’s Federation Cup competition, the Ministry of Youth and Sports out of the N4m given by the state governor, paid N1.5 million into his account for the Supporters Club of Abakaliki Football Club.
Mbam described the embezzlement allegations as "baseless, malicious, and calculated attempts to tarnish his reputation." He expressed surprise that some individuals would resort to spreading false information about him on social media.
He said, “I sent my account number to the accountant of Ministry of Youth and Sports and they wired 1.5 million. That is our own part of the money. So, the money came through Ministry of Youth and Sports. You understand?
“So, when they wired 1.5 million to me, I said, okay. I quickly called my publicity secretary, which is Spanish. I said, Spanish, put up a meeting for the supporters that went to Lagos so that I can address them and talk to them. And again, thank them that I have not spoken to them since we came back. I was waiting for this money to come.
“So, when they put the meeting here, I said, no, put it in stadium. There is no enough seats to contain the noise and so on. So, we went to stadium. I now explained this to them. Before I explained, I told them that I, of course, I thanked them and thanked God for how he took us to Lagos and came back. I now told them that in every system, there are people that run it.
“I can’t get up and start running the ministry affair. I told them that as Supporters Club, we are an arm in the football team, not in the ministry. I told them that where we source our power from is from the club, that we are Supporters Club of Abakaliki FC, not of ministry.
“And this is the decision of the club, that they have agreed that we are not the only people that supported them and that they have to carry other people along. And it will be unfair for us to also claim the whole money that we need to also share with our brothers that travel with us. This season has ended and they know that we started this on our own.
“Even up to now, people are still calling me. I’m still paying people, even those that couldn’t go, but they had one reason or the other not to go. I’m still paying them, 20,000. Because we are more than 100 Ebonyians and supporters who are registered. And they register with 5,000. So, they deserve also part of whatever comes to the club.
“So, I didn’t know this boy also is a member. I didn’t know him as a member. But I was told that he was there in my explanation. And then, when we finished the meeting, everybody was happy. I left. Lo and behold, that night, I received a call from the top, telling me I should go to social media and look at what is going on in social media. You understand? I went to social media and saw it.
“And I explained to number one, look at what happened. You know, I was not there when he gave four million. I wasn’t there when they gave it. This is the one I was given. And I’ve shared it to them. I told the supporters, calculate what I told you is my own expenses.
However, the chairman didn't stop at denying the allegations. He launched a scathing attack on political appointees in the state, accusing them of greed, corruption, and prioritizing personal enrichment over public service. "These appointees are more interested in lining their pockets than serving the people," he alleged.
He said, “I use to ask myself, why is it that it is easier for a government appointee to finish his house and furnish his house during the time he’s in government and then he will not succeed in anything in his ministry. I don’t know if you will understand. Why is it that personal activity of a political appointee is settled even before the position of the government requirement.
“That is the problem of the country. You are given an appointment, you buy a land. You are given an appointment, you start building a house. You build that your house and finish it and build it to test. But there is a job given through your ministry and that job will not be completed. But you complete your house within one year.
Mbam however commended Governor Francis Nwifuru for fulfilling his promise of embarking on legacy projects. He praised the governor's efforts in reviving abandoned projects and expressed optimism that the projects would bring glory to the governor's administration.
“The governor made a statement that he wants a legacy project in his name. And we owe him that. So, we are sitting back. We may not see what Vanco is turning into until they finish Vanco. And that Vanco job is not a small project. It’s like this uncompleted building that he has attacked now.
“And for the first time, as I started politics, I see a governor going back to projects that were abandoned to attack it after so many years. So, if these projects are finished now, who takes the glory? Is the governor that started it?
“So, it depends on how people rate people. If you put the roads that have been given together, if you add all of them together, how many kilometers, you find out that it is more than the one that the former governor have done”, he said.
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