Bio laments crises in Nigeria’s sports as NOC reconfirms Ndanusa president

•Ubani remains PRO

By Patrick Omorodion
Sports Minister/ Chairman, National Sports Commission, NSC, Alhaji Ibrahim Isa Bio Thursday at the Media Centre of the National Stadium, Lagos lamented the crises that has rocked Nigeria’s sports, describing it as unbecoming of a supposed leader of the continent of Africa.

Gumel and NdanusaAlhaji Bio was making his opening speech at the rescheduled Annual General Meeting, AGM of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC which has been embroiled in controversy following the refusal of the former Executive Committee under Alhaji Habu Gumel to call for election.

The minister said that Nigeria, as the leading country in Africa, was being looked upon by other African countries and wondered what kind of leadership she offer with bickering over election into sports bodies like the NOC and the Nigeria Football Association, NFA.

He called on the NOC family to organise themselves and show the larger Nigerian family preparing for the 2011 general elections by organising a hitch free and clean elections into the Executive Committee, as he lauded Alhaji Gumel for the achievements he recorded during his tenure.

He called on Gumel to accept whatever was the outcome of the election, whether the delegates decide to retain him or change the leadership, stressing that continuous in-fighting in sports does not the image of the country any good.

All the officers elected in an earlier election done on September 16, 2010 but was rejected by the International Olympic Committee, IOC returned with Gumel and the former PRO, Tony Nezianya withdrawing from the poll.
Gumel’s withdrawal paved the way for former Sports Minister, Engineer Sani Ndanusa, who was eleced in the annuled election to retain his position as the new President of the NOC while Vanguard’s Sports Editor was also reconfirmed as the new PRO.

Two former officers, Banji Oladapo and Dr Lanre Glover failed in their bid to return with Oladapo losing his Secretary General position to Tunde Popoola with 10 votes to 21 while Jonathan Nnaji’s first election was reconfirmed by the delegates with 21 votes to Glover’s 10.

In his post election speech, Engineer Ndanusa who is also the president of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, NTF, said the winner of the redone election was Nigeria’s sports as he called on all stakeholders to sheath their swords and help move sports in the country forward.