Abuja, Dec. 18, 2024 – Chairman Gombe State Athletics Association Hon. Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe was granted interview where he discussed many topics on why sports ministry was scrapped and replaced with
National Sports Commission (NSC).
Fielding questions on AriseTV, recently, Gombe also discussed other topics such as the iligality of NSC Act, Corporate business World not in Nigeria sports, Ese Brume training grant saga and Adopt a talent Project.
On the scrapping of the Sports Ministry, Gara-Gombe noted that the creation of NSC in the last 48 years from Ministry of Sports to NSC, changing nomenclature back and forth, brings the question, what the government and stakeholders really want to do with sports in Nigeria, adding that the real issue was corruption.
“At some point it was ministry of education information, culture and sports in the last 48 years.That brings the question, what do we want to do with sports in Nigeria, are we ready to develop sports in this country, if we are ready, it doesn’t come by changing names.
“Whenever there’s a failure we remember, let’s change to Sports Commission. Anytime there’s failure again, we say put sports under Sports Ministry.
“The matter is not by charging names, the real issue about sports in Nigeria is squarely Corruption. Change names one million times, we will still go back to were we are years back” he said.
Gara-Gombe advised the government to ensure that people with integrity and transparency were appointed into key positions in Sports.
He stressed that people without a bad past should be considered, adding that when government keep recycling people that lack meaningful track record, integrity and good governance, we shall keep roaming in a circle and nothing will be achieved.
He noted that there was an ongoing debate on whether the NSC act is legal or not.
“Talking about NSC, the question is, when was the act signed?
“The former Chairman of Sports in the Senate, Obinna Ogba was the one who spearheaded the act and far as I am concerned, the NSC act was the worst ever seen, because the content was wrong, fraudulent and was designed to bring back friends and relatives. The documents is totally faulty and need to be reworked.
“I remember in 2021 the National Assembly transmitted the bill to Mr. President Buhari for his ascent. The President didn’t give his ascent, and you know when such happenes, the Senate retrieves the bill and approves it after number of weeks.
“But president Buhari later signed the NSC act on the 25 the of May 2023, four days before his exit from office. After signing the bill some people took it and hid it inside their drawer without formal announcement.
“When did they bring back the NSC act, after the Sports Ministry has failed?
Someone should be held responsible,” he queried.
On Ese Brume, Gara-Gombe noted that training grants to Ese Brume was not planned but, NSC waited for Brume to be involved in an accident before giving her training grant.
He stressed that training grant to Brume was not a favour but her right, adding that NSC has failed to give other AthIetes grants.
“Now, sports all over the world is driven by Corporate Business Entities. It is only in Nigeria that you have government pumping money into sports and have people stealing it without accountability and government does nothing about it.
“In the history of Nigeria, no President has pumped money into sports like President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did.
“Where did he get the money having gone borrowing, raising taxes bills which means, the president means well for Nigerian Sports.
“President Tinubu released N24 billion to sports in one year. Where are those who managed it? Some of them were assigned to other ministry to go and hide while others are roaming the street enjoying their loot.
“So, we have to show accountability, transparency and good governance.
No corporate body would put money into Nigerian Sports, the Shehu Dikko who is talking went to the Nigeria Stock exchange to do the symbolic Ringing of Bell with Amaju Pinnic promising heaven on earth to the Nigeria sports and later, they disappeared, which means there’s a trust deficit in Nigeria Sports.
“Mobil was sponsoring AthIetics, Coca-cola sponsored Tennis. Glo, MTN doing sports business in Nigeria, no one is asking why is Super Sports no longer in sports in Nigeria?
These corporate bodies pulled out because no accountability.
“In Nigeria today, no one has been taken to prison for stealing money in sports.
Adopt a talent project was not the creation of Sunday Dare, it was the creation of late journalist Jide Fashikun during Solomon Dalung tenure as Sports Minister.
“For 25 years in sports, I have been a lone voice and nobody would stop me. I will keep exposing bad past, incompetence and bad governance,” Gara- Gombe said.
