Abuja, April 30, 2025 – One of Nigeria’s sports entrepreneur and Chairman and Board of Trustees of Athletics and Other Sports Development Initiative Hon. Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe has Charged the Chairman of National Sports Commission (NSC) Mallam Shehu Dikko and Director General Hon. Bukola Olopade to sit down and pay more attention to assignments in Nigeria’s Sports.
He further emphasied that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not appoint them to be globetrotting the whole world,
as facts have it that since their appointment, both Mallam Shehu and his DG Olopade have traveled outside Nigeria 12 times as spectators and had never signed any sports deal based on the e-sports economy agenda of Mr. President.
In a press statement on Thursday and made available to Journalists in Abuja, Gombe said, “The most embarrassing was when I saw the NSC Chairman travelling to one of the African countries to serve as CAF match Commissioner.”
According to him, “If Dikko wants to keep functioning as Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) match commissioner, he should first resign as NSC Chairman, both assignments are not equal. I believe his incompetence on the NSC job have started to show.
Gombe positted that Mallam Shehu Dikko’s position is equivalent to being Nigeria’s Sports Minister with huge responsibility and should stop embarrassing Nigeria.
This is not League Management Commission, (LMC) It is National Sports Commission.
Again, Bukola Olopade who is stirring the all-important National Sports Festival Committee supposed to sit down as NSC’s Administrative head but he is busy following footballers, weightlifters the whole places, a job naturally, designated for Sports Federation Presidents.
“They should stay in Nigeria and work. Unfortunately, since their appointment, Nigerian Sports have no visible direction.
They harp about sports economy and have gone to the President to tell him all sorts of things, the next thing they did was load pictures, videos for people see because that’s the tactics they deployed to deceive Mr. President.”
Details of the Statement read thus..
“You don’t run sports in the Media. Sit down, with your DG and work.
Stop behaving like a permanent secretary or Managing director or Chairman of a company, you suppose to function with board of directors, it is in the Act that established NSC”
“Any arbitrary decision you take is illegal and could be challenged in a court of Competent jurisdiction, because you are not supposed to take arbitrary decisions as Chairman or DG against the provisions of the NSC Act as other institutions that would have been on the NSC Board are being denied their rightful places as part of Nigeria’s project to exercise their enterprise, but you cut them off and two of you sat down to decide what you like, spending Nigeria’s money any how”.
“Let me remind you, “Any money spent outside the provisions of NSC Act would be accounted for.
I trust you are aware of federal government circular that stipulates how many times public officers can travel with government funds outside the country in a quoter? Are you aware?
Sports is not an exception, all these trips you both are embarking on supposed to be approved by the board.
It is the sports federations chairman that should be traveling with their teams and not you both.
You have not organized anything that would impact positively on Nigerian Sports since your appointment, it has been from receiving visitors to globetrotting”,
“Hon. Olopade, appointed his friend Yusuf Ali in the Podium Finish project, that is fine and have started paying training grants to supposedly Elite athletes and Nigerians are asking, who are these athletes, what are there Names and categories, which countries are they domiciled?
Nigerians are demanding to see the list of elite athletes that received $20.000, $10.000 and $5.000. and their categories well written. It’s public money.
Nigerians also want to know who gave Mallam Dikko the power to approve such money outside the board, what are the criteria for approval and release?
This is not how government works.
It is a shame that in this country, apart Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa/Ibom state, there’s no other stadium in Nigeria that meets CAF or FIFA standards to Host international football matches and NSC heads are busy traveling, is that not supposed to be worrisome to them?
The Remo- Ikene Stadium built by Chief Kunle Soname has become the only center in the South West for CAF matches and no other international match finals finals would be played there except preliminaries.
The Remo- Ikene Stadium was only considered based on the huge influence of sports loving Kunle Soname who provided a jet for CAF officials to inspect the stadium.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been a chance to play in the Ikene stadium.
Now, Remo Stars FC have won the NPFL Cup, where would the team play their continental games?
Dikko, Nigerians have given you an opportunity to change from your old ways, but you have not changed.
Please sit down do the job given to you by Mr. President.
You have to put on your thinking Cap”, Gombe said.
