National Sports Commission (NSC) has demanded for a retraction and unreserved apology from the Nigerian Pilot Newspaper over its recent report that the commission and the National Assembly had shared the sum of N1.5b approved by the federal government for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
According to the letter addressed to the Managing Director of DON Publications Ltd, publishers of the Nigerian Pilot and Newsword magazine, NSC insisted that the news story which was titled “Super Eagles N1.5b bonus missing” stated that N1.3b approved by the President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign was shared by top officials of the NSC and the House of Representatives Committee on Sports in what the newspaper called “Nations Cup booty”.
The letter further stated among others that the newspaper reported that out of the N900m released by the Account-General of the Federation, top officials of the NSC smiled to the bank with N200m while the Senate and House Committees on Sports shared N100m and the fraud as claimed by the newspaper was the reason the NFF could not pay the Super Eagles their $30,000 each bonus for beating Burkina Faso to win the Nations Cup.
The NSC however said the said story published on February 20 was false and complete fabrication by the newspaper.
The commission through its Legal Adviser is therefore asking the newspaper to make a retraction of what it considers to be highly offensive story in at least three (3) national daily newspapers as well as tender an apology to the NSC within seven (7) days of receipt of its letter as failure to comply would cause it to proceed to enforce its claims against the newspaper in a court of law where it will seek substantial and or aggravated damages.
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