GISTS

Mallam Bolaji Abdullah

The tenure of a sports minister, like any other minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is at the pleasure of Mr. President. It is commonly said that a coach is hired to be fired. But the position of the political appointee-minister is more volatile. At least, a coach may have his contract that may spell out the circumstances under which he may be sacked. Incidentally, there is no such ‘luxury’ for a minister and everyone knows that it goes with the job. But the office of sports minister, in particular, has been as unstable as water. As I have tried

to point out several times ibefore, while that office may be useful for political reasons, will the professionalisation of sports administration by the setting up of a statutory National Sports Commission, as a first step, with a Chairman who has a definite term of office, say four or five years (renewable), not better facilitate sports development?Last week, the appointment of very efficient but unassuming Dr. Tamuno Danagogo in replacement for successful but notably controversial Bolaji Abdullahi as sports minister, brought to 13 the number of distinguished Nigerians that have held that office in the last 15 years. That is, an average of a little over one year per minister. With the general election only one year away, even Danagogo’s appointment may only be for that duration subject, of course, to the outcome of the election and Mr. President’s pleasure.

Nevertheless, the removal of Abdullahi (who was actually one of the few that held office for up to two years) came as a rude shock to many, especially among his professional colleagues.Kayode Tijani “…was surprised, thinking with all he has achieved, he will still be there till like after the World Cup for stability.” Another sports journalist, Toyin Ibitoye, was even more effusive in his praise and declared that “…he is about the best minister that we have had in the last 15 years…” But he went on to hope that “…the new person coming can only improve on the positive things he has done, correct some of the mistakes he made, so that sports can move forward in Nigeria.”

Indeed, there were some “positive things” on his watch and for which it is fair to give him credit. Aderonke Ogunleye of Premium Times has produced a list of his “successes” which I will also share with you.

To my mind, his greatest achievement was the introduction of “the National Youth Games…in 2013, recording participation from over 4000 under-17 school boys and girls from all the 36 states of the country. The event was to identify young Nigerian sporting talents with 327 talents discovered, according to Abdullahi in his closing speech of the games…He said it would be a bi-annual event.”

The Games should be sustained and necessary steps taken to groom discovered talent on a continuous basis.

Also directly attributable to him was    “The formation of the League Management Company, established to administer the Nigerian professional league. Although enmeshed in various controversies, the LMC is seen by many as trying to introduce genuine reforms in administering the poorly managed Nigerian league.”

The aforementioned achievements were a paradigm shift and he deserves the accolade for them. All the same, there were others that happened “on his watch”. Like the London 2012 Paralympics Games in which Nigeria clinched six gold, five silver and one bronze medals; being overall winner at the 2012 Senior Africa Weightlifting Championships in Kenya; winning AFCON 2013 after 19 years of “trophy drought”; winning the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup with probably our most eligible team ever; qualifying for CHAN for the first time in 2013 and winning the bronze medal; making it to the highest cricket league in Africa —League Five, for the first time.

However, as Aderonke Ogunleye further disclosed regarding “failures”, “under Mr. Abdullahi’s supervision, Nigerian paralympians and their coaches were cheated at the 2012 Paralympics by the sports ministry. Despite Premium Times’ exposure of the fraud and mismanagement of… funds, no action was taken by the minister.”

On his watch also, Nigeria “…failed woefully at the 2012 summer Olympics.To his credit, however, he “accepted responsibility for the failure and assured Nigerians of a successful Rio 2016 Olympics.”

But, if I had my way, Abdullahi would have been sacked a long time ago. Excerpts from my piece of May 5, 2013, will show why:

“Can it be that our moral degeneration is so acute and our understanding of the rule of law so vague that a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in a civilian democratic setting can publicly show disdain for a subsisting judgement of a court of law?…I queried, incredulous, when I read Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi’s interview in THE GUARDIAN last Monday (29/4/13).

“As the following excerpt from the interview reveals, the sports minister has assumed an ill-advised posture of complete defiance of the Federal High Court. According to Abdullahi, ‘…I am the minister of sports supervising the NFF…I give money to the NFF…People always come up to say that this is illegal, that is illegal, and it is this question of things being illegal that has held Nigerian football down over the years.’

(On the contrary, we are not realising our full potential because we are generally not law abiding).

“Against the backdrop of the much publicised judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No FHC/ABJ/CS/179/2010 of 20th January, 2012, confirming the illegality of the Nigeria Football Federation and its lack of authority to run any aspect of football in Nigeria, the minister’s comments only reveal his lack of respect for the law, seeing court judgements even on matters of public concern as relevant only to the extent that they are convenient to him… Several months before this judicial seal on the pariah status of the NFF, the office of the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja, had in its letter- SGF/PS/FMS & YD/308 of 2nd June, 2011, also duly advised the sports ministry that the NFF is not a creation of our laws and that the ministry should desist from any further… statutory allocations to it…”

It is so unfortunate that a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can gleefully announce, in total disregard of the court judgement, that he uses public office to supervise and give money to an illegal body…”

That, to me, should have been unacceptable.