Akinsola (behind) marks for Rangers
Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency EFCC has sensationally got Enugu Rangers to pay off Togo international star Bussari Akinsola.
MTNFootball.com can report authoritatively that Rangers boss Paul Chibuzor was whisked away by operatives of the anti-graft agency days to the last Christmas and was quizzed for several hours after Togo defender Akinsola complained he has not been paid his entitlements even after the government of Enugu State released the money.
Akinsola told only MTNFootball.com he received about 3.5 million Naira being his balance payment for his signing-on fees only after the anti-graft agency intervened.
“I must say that I am very happy to have been paid the balance of my sign-on fees at Rangers two seasons ago. I never thought it would have been possible after I was dribbled around by the management of the club for almost three months even after the money had been released by the government,” he disclosed.
“A friend of mine advised me against taking the laws into my hands especially when Rangers came for the WAFU Cup in Lome but that I take my case to EFCC.
“I took the advice and after some hours with them in Enugu, the Rangers CEO (Paul Chibuzor aka Sayama) agreed to pay me and few days later, I got the cheque that cleared after the Christmas holidays. I am indeed very lucky.”
Rangers spokesman Foster Chime confirmed Akinsola as well as other team members have been paid for the 2009/10 season.
“We have paid out all entitlements to both players and officials for the 2009/2010 season and the management was not compelled or forced by anybody to do this. Yes, Bussari got his recently which I believe was due to communication gap.”
Akinsola’s breakthrough appears to have let open the door for other players to follow the EFCC route so to be paid their outstanding entitlements also.
A reliable source informed MTNFootball.com that six players and five officials of the club are putting heads together on the documents to present to officials of the commission to aid them in recoup cash slashed from what they were supposed to have been paid as signing-on fees for the 2009/2010 season.
“I am very happy with this prospect of getting my nearly two million Naira that was cut off from what I signed as my sign-on fees for the season 2009/2010.
“Since somebody has gone to EFCC and they helped him in getting his own, I am very sure that I will get equal attention. I am very positive of getting the needed attention because I have copies of the documents to press home my case,” said one of the players, who spoke on the basis of anonymity.
Another affected player said, “When I signed for Rangers, what I negotiated as sign-on fees was not what I got when I finally got paid sometime in October last year.
“I have been pleading with the management to complete my money but to no avail. With this golden opportunity, I hope to get back what was cut from my original figures.”