Global football governing body FIFA has ignited widespread reactions across Nigeria after using an image of the Birnin Kebbi Stadium project in Kebbi State as its new banner on official social media pages.
The stadium, co-funded by FIFA and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), was featured on FIFA’s official X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook accounts on Saturday, showing a half-furnished facility under construction.
The image, believed to have been taken in 2023, was meant to highlight grassroots football development under the FIFA Forward Programme. However, its publication quickly went viral, drawing criticism and speculation from Nigerians online. Many users interpreted FIFA’s post as a subtle indictment of the NFF, following persistent allegations of mismanagement of football development funds.
The controversy intensified days after football critic Chinedu Mobike, through his official Instagram handle #c_mobike, released a video on October 23, 2025, accusing the NFF of misusing millions of dollars allocated for infrastructure projects, including the Kebbi Stadium and its counterpart in Ugborodo, Delta State.
Mobike alleged that FIFA disbursed $1.2 million to the NFF for the construction of two stadiums, claiming that “till today, they did not see daylight.” He compared Nigeria’s performance with other countries that, according to him, “used the funds to truly develop football,” while Nigeria “produced nothing to show.”
“The NFF should sit up…There are no active projects promoting football or sports in Nigeria,” Mobike said, in a statement that has since fueled public anger and renewed scrutiny of the federation’s management of FIFA funds.
The NFF has not yet issued an official response to the online controversy. The Kebbi Stadium project, originally presented as a model for grassroots football growth, has now become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over transparency and accountability in Nigerian football administration.
