Former NFA Chairman, Ibrahim Galadima has called on the Federal Government to intervene in the current crisis rocking the Nigerian sports, culminating in Friday’s nullification of the Nigeria Olympic Committee’s elections. Galadima said government had a responsibility to mediate.

A patron of the NOC, Galadima was a member of the three-man panel appointed to look into the crisis during the botched Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Dutse last December, 2009.

The panel’s report was submitted in March.Veteran sports administrator and pioneer Chairman of the Nigeria Cycling Federation (NCF), Rev. Moses Iloh, headed the three-man panel, which had Chief Adetokunbo Thomas and Galadima as members.
Describing the current state of sports in Nigeria as sad, Galadima declared: “Nigeria has never had it so bad in sports.”
“Nigeria’s profile in sports is going down.” He said it was time to arrest the “drift and save the country from further embarrassment”.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday nullified the NOC elections held on Thursday, which saw former Sports Minister, Sani Ndanusa emerge as President.

Ndanusa, the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) President, defeated the incumbent NOC Chief, Habu Gumel, who was absent.
Galadima said that the panel had recommended, among other things, that both Gumel and Ndanusa, should step down and allow neutral persons contest the NOC headship in the interest of sports development.