Nigeria: Crisis in Scrabble as Players Drag President to EFCC

ThisDayLive: Crisis in Scrabble as Players Drag President to EFCC
Players of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF) have launched a coup against the president of the body Engineer Toke Aka, who has been dragged before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for improper conduct.

The players accused Aka of fraud and wrote a petition against him for making illegal deduction from the prize money due to them over time without rendering proper account.

Likewise, they appealed to the National Sports Commission (NSC) and Presidency to look into their plight.

Five of the players, including the current African scrabble champion, Jigere Wellington, in a no holds barred press conference Monday, not only accused their president in the public, but said that the NSF acted in bad faith by leaving out their names from the Nigerian Rating on the federation’s website.

Other collaborators were Chinedum Okwelogu, Omosefe Prince Osahon, Saidu Ayorinde and Cyril Umebiye.

They claimed they have been suspended from playing representing Nigeria because they refused to comply with the policy of NSF to continue to deduct large part of their earnings in local and international competitions.

The petition against the boss of the federation was written in February and has been filed with the anti corruption watchdog.

The kernel of the petition against Aka is that he caused 30 per cent of the monetary gift given to the players by President Goodluck Jonathan for impressive outing at the African Championship in Ghana last year to be deducted.

Nigeria flourished by claiming all the top 10 positions at the tournament, which made an impressed Jonathan to host and fete the players.

Jigere got N1.5 million gift from the president, while the other players each got a share of N750, 000.

But the players disclosed that were made to part with 30 per cent of the presidential windfall by the federation, an act which they described as “untenable”.

Again they accused Aka of issuing dud cheques as well excluding six players from the N6 million handout given by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, for the feat by the team in winning a fifth African scrabble in 2004.

Jigere, who has been a playing for the federation since 2006, claimed that over N2 million has been illegally deducted from his earnings since 2006.

“We feel we should let the public know about the injustices in the scrabble family. We want the ministry and presidency to address the issues. The president of the federation has not been fair to us. There is extortion and illegal draining of the players they suppose to protect. Since 2008, players have been under duress to sign undertaken before they are taken overseas,” Jigere said.

Though NSF has a policy of deducting 10 per cent and 30 per cent as tournament prize money from local and foreign tournaments involving the players, the players alleged illegal deductions and other infractions against their federation, outside the agreed arrangement.

They claimed that 40 percent rather that 10 percent was taken from their earnings at the Akwa Ibom Classic in Uyo in 2009 as contribution to the NSF.

They also claimed that since 2008, the sum of N360, 000 each has been deducted systematically from their winnings in local and international tournaments.