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Again, Gara Gombe Distance Self From Bubayero’s Match-Fixing Scandal

Published

4 years ago

December 20, 2020

The former chairman of Gombe State Football Association, Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe has again opened up on the match-fixing scandal involving a team from Gombe State, Bubayero FC in 2013 Division 3 play-off of the nationwide league and exonerated himself of any involvement in the ‘scandalous score-line’.

He attributed the latest move by some certain individuals to link him with the ‘scandalous match-fixing’ nine-year after the NFF investigative committee found culprits found guilty and banned them for life, as a calculated attempt to smear his image.

The renowned sports critics however challenge anybody with fresh facts and proof of his involvement in the scandalous match-fixing to come out publicly and prove his case, saying he is not scared of anything as the facts of none his involvement in the Bubayero 67 goals scandal is there for everyone to verify.
“I’m surprised that whenever I raised the issue about people instead of them to defend themselves or say their own side of the story, they would be digging stories that are neither here nor there or don’t have any strength to stand the test of time.

‘On the issue of the scandalous and embarrassing match-fixing incident where a team from Gombe State, Bubayero conceded 67 goals against Police Machine and Plateau United Feeders were 79-0 victory over Akubra FC from Nasarawa. That particular match was played in Bauchi and four teams were involved. But only one would qualify to play in the Nationwide League and I was told that goal difference will be used to determine who qualifies.

“My team, Bubayaro FC. I made it clear right from day one that I did not form the club for competition, not to play in the league because it is going to be a waste of time. I formed the club for developmental purposes. That faithful week when the incident happened, I was in Lagos and I read on social media that my own team was in Bauchi to participate in the playoff with Police Machine.

So, I immediately called the secretary of the club and asked him how did they got to Bauchi and under who permission, he said the chairman of Gombe State Sports Commission was the one that gave them money to travel to Bauchi and ask him how, or under what circumstances did the chairman gave you money to travel for the match?

“I immediately instructed him to enter the next bus with the team and return back to Gombe. But against my wish, he refused to come back to Gombe. I then sent the coordinator of the club from Gombe who was also LMC match commissioner, Ibrahim, to go to Bauchi in the morning before they start the match and return with the club back to Gombe. Unfortunately, they refused to heed my advice. In the evening I read that they conceded 67 goals. I immediately disbanded the club.

“After disbanding the club, I wrote a letter to the General Secretary of NFF, informing him about the disbandment of the club following that embarrassing and shameful act by the team and officials. The NFF acknowledged my letter and I copied CAF and FIFA because two days after, the news was all over the world. I also spoke to a BBC reporter who called me to ask why I took such prompt and bold action to disband the team after investing so much in the club. I told him that I don’t support match-fixing and any act that would damage the game of football. He thanked me and appreciated my position. Someone from FIFA also called me after receiving my letter to thank me for my courage.

“The NFF set up a committee under the chairmanship of Chief Mike Umeh and the secretary was Dr. Muhammed Sanusi who is now General Secretary of NFF but he was head of competitions then. There were other members of the committee to investigate and try those involved in the scandalous match-fixing. The match officials, the players of the two teams, and their officials, all appeared before the panel and they were found guilty of match-fixing offenses. Some of them were banned for life while others were banned for 10 years.

“Those proactive actions that I took exonerated me. The committee never invites me nor tried me because God knows that I know nothing about it. I didn’t even stop at that since the team that scored my team 67 goals happened to be the Police team, I petitioned the Inspector General of Policy, reporting he should investigate what happened and jailed whoever needs to be jailed for the offense.

“If the NFF could not find me guilty, the Police did not find me guilty, I was not in Bauchi, I didn’t speak to anybody about the match apart from the fact that I asked my team not to participate in the playoffs and go back to Gombe. Some people are today, nine years later, trying by force to mention my name and how my team was involved in match-fixing. I was not banned but if they want to retry the case, it is their own problem, I don’t care because the facts are there.

“The report of the committee is there, Dr. Sanusi is alive, Mike Umeh is alive, other members of the panel who investigated the matter are also alive. The IGP who I wrote the petition to investigate the matter is still alive, the documents and the letters I wrote to NFF, CAF, and FIFA are all there for anyone to verify.

“I challenge anybody to come out to show how I was involved in that match-fixing scandal. I can never do that. But those who are involved in match-fixing in Nigeria we know them. Let them continue talking, one day we’ll expose them. The struggle to liberate Nigeria’s football administration and management from corrupt elements has started. For 15-year I have ion this I will not stop. If you have anything against me bring up and I have my defense, be ready to come up with your own defense.” Gara Stated.

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Business

Tax Reform Bills: The Verdict of Nigerians

Published

1 week ago

March 6, 2025

The Gleamer

Ismaila Ahmad Abdullahi Ph.D

The public hearings conducted recently by the two Chambers of the National Assembly have elicited positive responses from a broad spectrum of Nigerians, cutting across regional interest groups, government agencies, civil society groups, concerned individuals, the academia, and Labour Unions, among diverse others. Contrary to a few dissensions hitherto expressed in the media, almost all the stakeholders who spoke during the week-long sessions were unanimous in their declaration that the hallowed Chambers should pass the tax reform bills after a clean-up of the grey areas.

The public hearings were auspicious for all Nigerians desirous of economic growth and fiscal responsibility. They were also a watershed moment for the Federal Inland Revenue Service, which had been upbeat about the tax reforms. Indeed, the public hearings had rekindled hope in the tenets of democracy that guarantee freedom of expression and equitable space for cross-fertilisation of ideas. Without gainsaying the fact, the tax reform bills have been unarguably about the most thought-provoking issues in Nigeria today, drawing variegated perspectives and commentaries from even unlikely quarters such as the faith-based leaders, student bodies, and trade unions, which speaks much about the importance of the bills.

In the build-up to the public hearings, not many people believed that the bills would make it to the second reading, much less the public hearings. Even the Northern stakeholders who seemed unlikely to support the passage of the bills have softened their stance and have given valuable suggestions that would enrich the substance of the bills. The Arewa Consultative Forum came to the public hearings well-prepared with a printed booklet that addressed their concerns. It concluded with an advisory that the bills should be “Well planned, properly communicated, strategically implemented and ample dialogue and political consensus allowed for the reforms to be accepted.”

The concerns of ACF ranged from the composition of the proposed Nigeria Revenue Service Board as contained in Part 111, Section 7 of the bill, the unlimited Presidential power to exempt/wave tax payment as proposed in Section 75(1) of the bill, the family income or inheritance tax as contained in Part 1, Section 4(3) of the bill, to the issues around development levy and VAT. On the development levy, the ACF stated that unless the Federal Government is considering budgetary funding for TETFUND, NASENI and NITDA, it does not see the “wisdom behind the plan to replace (them) with NELFUND”.

The position of the North was equally reinforced by the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, Northern Elders Forum, Kano State Government, Professor Auwalu Yadudu, and the FCT Imams. Like the ACF, these stakeholders lent their respective voices to the Section on the Inheritance Tax in Part 1 of the bill and the use of the term ‘ecclesiastical’, which, in their views, undermines certain religious rights and beliefs. The Kano State Government, represented by Mahmud Sagagi, affirmed that “we support tax modernisation” but cautioned that “we must ensure that this process does not come at the expense of states’ constitutional rights and economic stability”. Professor Auwalu Yadudu, a constitutional law professor, drew attention to the use of the ‘supremacy clause’ and cautioned that the repeated use of “notwithstanding” in the bills would undermine the supremacy of the Nigerian constitution if passed as such.

Other stakeholders that made contributions at the sessions included the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Nigeria Customs Service, and a host of others. While most of their concerns bordered on technical issues requiring fine-tuning, they were unanimous in their support for the bills. They aligned with the position of the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, Ph.D. and the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, which is that the extant tax laws and fiscal regulations are obsolete necessitating reforms aimed at creating a fair and equitable tax and fiscal space to grow Nigeria’s economy.

In one of the sessions, Dr Zaach Adedeji expounded on the criss-cross of trade activities in the Free Trade Zone whereby companies misuse tax waivers as exporters to sell their goods or services in the Customs Area at an amount usually less than the price the operators in the Customs Area who pay VAT and other taxes sell theirs thereby disrupting business transactions. This way, the operators in the Free Trade Zone shortchange the government in paying their due taxes by circumventing extant regulations, which are inimical to the economy’s growth.

Overall, the presentations were forthright, foresighted, and helpful in elucidating the issues contained in the bills. According to the statistics read out at the end of the hearings at the Senate, 75 stakeholders were invited, 65 made submissions, and 61 made presentations. At the House of Representatives 53 stakeholders made presentations. By all means, this is a fair representation. Given the presentations, it is evident that the National Assembly has gathered enough materials to guide its deliberations on the bills. As we look forward to the passage of the bills, we commend the leadership of the National Assembly for their unwavering commitment to making the bills see the light of the day.

Abdullahi is the Director of the Communications and Liaison Department, FIRS.

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