NFF Ruin My Life, My Business, Super Eagles Apparel Designer Cries Out For Help

NFF Ruin My Life, My Business, Super Eagles Apparel Designer Cries Out For Help By Niyi Busari Esimaje Awani, Director, GT Stitches, the tailor who designed the Super Eagles apparel to the world cup in Russia has been thrown out of office because he couldn't renew the office rent, www.bsnsports.com.ng can report. Esimaje, a 300 level law student in Igbinedion University could not renew the rent because according to him, the Nigeria Football Federation failed to pay N6.8 million (six million and eight hundred thousand naira) balance the federation owed him before 2018 FIFA World Cup in France in June. The designer said he has spent over N1 million (One million naira) on accommodation, feeding, and flight for coming to Abuja in order to recover the debt from the federation in the last nine months. He explained further that, he always pays N70,000 (From and To Warri) for flight and N20,000 for accommodation and over N10,000 on feeding and logistics within Abuja each time he comes to Glass House to recover the debts. He also claimed he has been to Abuja for more than ten times. In his words, "I have spent over one million naira in order to recover the debt from the NFF. Every time I traveled to Abuja I spent nothing less than One hundred thousand and I have been to the Glass House more than ten times." He added that the owner (landlord) of his office has locked up his office following his inability to renew the office rent after the landlord waited for 5 months. "I am frustrated and that is why I cried out on social media for Nigerians to help me to beg the NFF to pay my money. "I don't think anybody will tell me that I have not exercise enough patience, having waited for nine months. Actually, my business folds up because of this money and because I was relying on it to settle those I owed particularly my office rent. And now I have been thrown out of my office at No. 3, Mainway Omadili close, GRA Warri. So, temporarily, I have closed down my business because I designed apparel for Super Eagles which the whole appreciated and celebrated. Esimaje who is based in Warri in an exclusive interview with www.bsnsports.com.ng said that the NFF has not given him a dime after the part-payment of N3.6 million which was paid before the commencement of the project. "The NFF paid the sum of N3.6 million before the tournament but N6.8 (six million and eight hundred thousand) balance has not been paid nine months after. " He added that he contracted the hat and the shoe to different local designers who are on his neck to recover the balance of their payment. "It has been one excuse to the other. Firstly, they told me that FIFA has not paid their entitlements, then later said the money that was paid have not been converted to naira by the CBN. It was just one excuse after the other and this is the 9th month. I am really angry and frustrated because I am still owing a lot of people that worked with me. It was local companies that I contracted the shoe and the hat designs to, till now, I am still owing them. They didn't believe me that I have not been paid by NFF, this leads to fighting between us. He lamented that he wouldn't have found himself in this mess if he was allowed to seek a sponsor but the NFF rejected the idea. "Initially, I asked the committee in charge of the protocol and ceremonial activities of the NFF to endorse my design so that I can go and source for cooperate sponsors by myself but because of conflict of interest, they said they did not want any individual to source for a sponsor. He also explained that he has already run into a loss on the business as the cost of production for each player complete dress is N149,000 and has spent above the little profit on unnecessary expenses in order to recover the debts. "The dress for each player, that is the cloth, shoe and hat costs us N149,000. "It is already a bad business for me because I have lost the profit, i spent more than the profit on unnecessary expenses in order to recover the debt from them. On this business, I have fought with almost who worked with me during the project," he lamented. On why he has not collected his contract paper from the NFF. "We did everything in a rush and in just two weeks, to get all the players was an issue before we finally got them in Uyo take their measurements for their shoes, hats, and clothes. So, before we finished production, rushed to Abuja, they have left for Austria. I have to travel to Austria on the same day to deliver the job. "I couldn't see Mr. Tunde Aderibigbe, who the NFF said suppose to hand over the contract paper and the file to me. Before the commencement of the world cup, we were rushing to deliver the products to the players and see if there will any complain. Therefore, we were unable to collect the file as we believed that we can get the file from him after we deliver the dresses to the players without complaint. "Unfortunately, by the time the world cup was over, there was already a leadership crisis rocking the NFF. By the time they came back I was unable to meet with Tunde because he was not on his seat following his support for Giwa camp." On his part, Tunde Aderibigbe while speaking with BSN Sports said that the file has since been handed over to Mr. Rajan Zakar in the accounting department. "When the initial payment was about to be paid, NFF General-Secretary, Dr. Muhammed Sanusi collected the file from me and in my presence handed it to Mr. Rajan Zakar in the accounting department to go and posted the initial payment which they did. "The NFF should not because I am not presently on my seat lie against me. They can pay the balance without lying against me. They knew I am not with any file, so, why are they telling him to look for me? He asked.