By Our Correspondent

In a bold move to clear his name from the monumental alleges corruption in the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, the minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare has informed his lawyers to proceed with a N10 billion suit against former head of protocol, NFF, Mr. Tunde Aderibigbe, if he fails to apologize for defamation of character arising from the unsubstantiated allegations he made concerning the minister’s involvement in the corruption claims, Bestchoicesports.com.ng can report

The impending legal action against Aderibigbe followed a similar warning letter issued to the presenter of Berekete programme on Human Rights 101.1 Radio, Ordinary Ahmed Isah, who has since apologized to the minister for maligning his image.

A letter from Mr. Dare’s legal counsel, Wole Olanipekun and Co to the NFF’s former head of protocol noted that the radio host had maliciously alleged that the Minister was bribed, which Aderibigbe corroborate without evidence.  

The letter said “(The) … disparaging statement about our client, which was a frontal attack on his person and reputation, was/is baseless, unfounded and unsupported by any iota of substance. Nonetheless, in response to the statement, you were quick to corroborate the patently malicious assertion.”

“In light of the foregoing, we have our client’s instruction to demand an unreserved apology from you to be published in two national dailies (with wide readership across the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos, Oyo and Rivers States) within 7 days of the receipt of this letter. Within the said 7 days of the receipt of this letter, you are also required to tender the same apology on the Human Right Radio, 101.1 FM. 

“Kindly take notice that in the event of your failure or omission to comply with our client’s demand as indicated in the foregoing paragraph, we have his standing instructions to institute an action against you. seeking injunctive and declaratory reliefs as well as pecuniary damages to the tune of NGN 10,000.000,000.00 (ten Billion Naira. only for the embarrassment and unwarranted ridicule caused by your defamatory statements,” the letter warned.

Meanwhile a desperate plan by a group claiming to be a coalition of ethnic nationalities to forestall the earth-shaking expose of deep-seated corruption at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has failed.

ScoreNigeria reports that a three-man group has been found out to be working at the behest of NFF president Amaju Pinnick, one of the officials under investigations by the country’s anti-graft agencies.

Thursday’s ‘Brekete Family’ programme on Human Rights Radio Abuja confirmed that one of the men from the coalition of ethnic nationalities was on the official delegation of the NFF to this year’s AFCON in Egypt.

It was also exposed that one of these men produced personalised gift items to curry the favour of Pinnick.

NFF head of protocol Oyetunde Aderibigbe also revealed that one of the men, who purportedly tried to mediate in what they termed as “NFF crisis”, approached him after yesterday’s programme and urged him to take what he is offered and let the matter die.

The anchor of the programme ‘Ordinary President’ Ahmad Isah also revealed that on December 2, 2019, Pinnick invited him for a private meeting in Abuja after the embattled NFF president turned down a chance to defend himself and his organisation against the allegations of corruption leveled against them in the programme.

It would also be recalled that NFF lawyers had formally complained to the radio station as well as the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) about what they described as the bias of the programme.

Pinnick will later assure ‘Ordinary President’ that NFF second vice-president Shehu Dikko will appear on the programme to defend the football house against weighty criminal allegations.

Dikko has yet to show up as promised.

Sports minister Sunday Dare also threatened to slam a 10 billion Naira defamation suit against the programme’s anchor.

The lawyers who represented Dare in this matter also work for the NFF.

Additional Report From ScoreNigeria