Let it burn. The roof is on fire, we don’t need water! Let it burn. Well, this writer understands that not all readers share the same level of jokes’ tolerance and profane-laced symbolism, but a dilapidated building on fire can reasonably only be saved to stop spread of the fire damage. The House of Sports in Nigeria is on fire and this writer says, let it burn to the ground and new structure be built. Doing so requires new engineers, new infrastructures, and new concepts and more importantly, dumping of all remnants of the old House of Sports. And for the parable-challenged readers, it means every leader of the co-fraternity called National Sports Commission (NSC) must be moved out of NSC in order for new Sports Development Authority to emerge and in fact NSC should be a ‘bad’ thing of the past, specifically, money sharing good for nothing corrupt-laden juggernauts.
The country is focused on Dasukigate, but alas, “NSCgate” will throw over 200 individuals in prison instantly and it will be so unusual not to find hundreds of ghost-workers there. Honestly, Sports Minister Dalung remains in the dark and clueless on how to proceed and in all likelihood cannot probe these culprits.
Olympics Games?
As usual the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC) made its usual Olympic year pitch for federal monies (that was never accounted for in the past) and Mr. Dalung simply demand that the NOC seeks private funding as it is done elsewhere, but Nigeria. Unfortunately, Mr. Dalung did not ask whether the NOC is a valid corporate body in Nigeria with records of statutory audits filed with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) along with tax clearance certificate. These are basic compliance demand of the law before any entity is recognized by the Ministry of Sports.
Yes, football federation, athletics federation (AFN) and others must comply with the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) and CAC’s filing requirements before anyone representing such organization can approach the Ministry of Sports for anything. And of course, individuals without a tax clearance certificate cannot be consulted for anything because to do so, is tantamount to aiding and abetting tax avoidance (a crime). As it is now, it appears that no federation is in compliance with CAC’s filing requirements and those processes cannot conclude within 30 days. Therefore, (1) the Sports Ministry must take over qualified Olympics’ athletes preparation immediately because funding an illegal entity (federation) is a criminal act even if the ultimate recipient of the fund is an athlete. (2) It is the Sports Ministry primary duty to develop its citizens, not sports federation and failure to do such is an actionable omission.
For Athletics, the problem at this stage is that the Sports Ministry relies on illegally-hired not so competent duo named Angie Taylor and Eric Campbell (Taylor and Campbell) to coach whereas the country can boast of at least six Olympics caliber coaches with several medals even as former athletes to show as compared to the duo illegally-hired that never coached or in attendance at any Olympics as a coach.
Can the Sports Minister handle his portfolio competently? It is doubtful, if he continues to rely on the former sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi’s alleged advise. It was also alleged that Mr. Kayode Thomas (former aide to Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi who was also imposed as an athletics federation Board member by Mr. Abdullahi) and Mrs. Nneka Anibeze (Mr. Dalung media aide) arranged a meeting between Mr. Abdullahi and Mr. Dalung few weeks ago. It was that former Minister who hired those individuals (Angie Taylor and Eric Campbell) contrary to the Public Procurement Act (PPA) and should be charged to court.
Mr. Dalung was allegedly quoted as saying that he needed the illegal duo (Taylor and Campbell) as witnesses in an investigation on corruptly purchased rotten-away N280million training equipment and anyone who is against illegal re-hiring of the duo is trying to cover-up the rotten-away equipment case. This makes no sense and in fact, it is the Minister who is trying to regularize illegality, which criminal in nature.
Imagine, the country wasted about N500million on Taylor and Campbell for doing nothing plus N280miilion on useless equipment that the duo must provide themselves under PPA along with many perks, but to investigate the N280million equipment the Minister is now illegally re-hiring the duo again simply as witnesses for well over N500million where recovery of the N280million being chased is remote. If true, this allegation is the height of incompetence and for a lack of better word, insane. That’s the modus operandi of Mr. Abdullahi during his brief tenure where he usually create a problem and setup panels for millions of naira to investigate and issue reports at a cost to the NSC. Of course the reports gather dust like others. Heck, Dasukigate is the not extra-ordinary.
This writer can confidently say that the wrecking crew of Mr. Abdullahi is likely cunning Mr. Dalung so that he can fail and so far, sports in Nigeria is at a standstill. And failure the country will get until the current Sports Minister is trained and advised properly.
Federations, What About Them
There must be a new Sports Development Authority that must disregard all federations that are not in compliance with Corporate Affairs Commission and CAMA. Furthermore, sports federation must be run by former athletes in such sports not novice imposed by NSC in the past as they continue to create problems as if it’s their birthright and not let fresh individuals to become part of such federation’s board. The era of imposing a journalist on federation should be a thing of the past but that doesn’t mean former athletes who is now a journalist cannot be a federation board member.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s idea of imposing politicians (rather than merit and credentials) from his political party as federation bosses must stop right now and those imposed must be banned from any federation in the future. Practically, all federations except table tennis are headed by these people and the results of the 2012 Olympics showed that these people were up to no good and these individuals were returned as leaders by Mr. Abdullahi after London Olympics’ disgrace. They were imposed on the federations not for the benefit of the athletes because athletes were seen everywhere begging for their entitlements, intimidated, arrested, caged in mosquito-infested slave camps, gagged and abandoned in Atlanta, USA. The former attorney generals showed no interest in intervening even with the clearest of evidence at times. Some coaches and athletes were roughed up and jailed by those so-called imposed administrators, one of the impostor was a member of NDDC currently under investigation while also fronting as secretary of PDP in Delta. Sports should know No Politics. Merit and qualification must be the criteria for any federation.
And until sports federations comply with the laws of the federation and remove all journeymen who are neither a coach nor former athlete, no single kobo or penny from federal wallet can be extended to them. Federation officials can no longer be sponsored to the Olympics by the Sports Ministry. These are the origin of the in-fighting in the sports industry.
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I rest
Dr. Rashid A. Balogun, CPA, PhD, LLB(Hons.), LLM(London)
