BEVERLY HILLS, May 10, (THEWILL) – The Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development is currently enmeshed in a self-inflicted crisis that may have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s participation in the 32nd Olympiad due to commence in less than 80 days in Tokyo, Japan, while embroiling it in a domestic crisis of similar complications.
It all began last Friday when the ministry ordered the dissolution of the boards of all 31 sporting federations in the country. This was considered a necessary step by the Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare. According to him, it was in keeping with the Olympic Charter.
“Following the provision of the Olympic Charter, the tenure of the national Olympic Sports Federations in Nigeria has come to an end. There is a need for a transition from the old boards to new ones,” Dare was quoted as saying.
To keep the activities of these federations running smoothly, the minister simultaneously placed the affairs of all dissolved boards under caretaker committees unilaterally appointed to hold the forte until fresh elections are held.
Aware of the imminence of the Olympics, the minister tasked the caretaker committees with the enhancement of Team Nigeria’s participation at the Tokyo Olympics Games while promising to collaborate with the Nigeria Olympic Committee to map out the timetable for the fresh election of members of the 31 boards.
In alphabetical order, the following caretakers were appointed to their respective federations:
The Aquatic Federation of Nigeria Caretaker Committee is headed by Babatunde Fatai Williams; Olumide George leads the Athletics Federation of Nigeria; Francis Orbih is in charge of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria; Ahmadu Musa-Kida is at the helm of the Nigerian Basketball Federation and Gen. Joseph Ayeni (retd) oversees the affairs of the Nigeria Boxing Federation.
Others included DIG Sani Sani Mohammed (Nigeria Chess Federation); Prof Yahaya Ukwanya (Nigeria Cricket Federation); G. Masari (Cycling Federation of Nigeria); Abubakar Gaya (Darts Federation of Nigeria); U. Nahuche (Nigeria Deaf Sports Federation); Abubakar Dangaladima (Fives Federation of Nigeria); Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Nigeria Golf Federation) and Kelvin Erhurnwunse (Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria).
The new caretaker committees also had Samuel Ochecho (Handball Federation of Nigeria); Senator Andul Ningi (Nigeria Hockey Federation); Brig-Gen. Z. Abubakar (Nigeria Judo Federation); Sila Agara (Karate Federation of Nigeria); Yakubu Abubakar (Kickboxing Federation of Nigeria); Adewunmi Adekunle (Nigeria Wushu Kungfu Federation) and Rear Admiral Porbeni Festus (retd.) (Nigeria Rowing, Canoeing and Yatching Federation).
The rest were Grace Iyorchia (Nigeria Rugby Federation); Suleman Gora (Nigeria Scrabble Federation); Maj-Gen Johnny Hamakim (Nigeria Shooting Federation); Oyerinde Adeboye (Nigeria Squash Federation); Tikon Ishayaku (Nigeria Table Tennis Federation); Margaret Binga (Nigeria Taekwondo Federation); Akindoju Olaoye (Nigeria Tennis Federation); Usman Musa (Traditional Sports Federation of Nigeria); Musa Nimrod (Nigeria Volleyball Federation); Tonobok Okowa (Nigeria Weightlifting Federation) and Daniel Igali (Nigeria Wrestling Federation).
As expected, the minister’s action elicited sharp reactions from many of the board members. They based their disapproval of it on the grounds that the ministry was wrong to claim that they had reached the end of their terms as they still had about two more months. In fact, they held that they could only be replaced through election.
Of particular interest was the case of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, which leadership tussle had come close to a boiling point with an unhealthy dose of litigations, court statements and appeals. As a result of the already fractious status quo therein, and the very divisive decision of the sports ministry to appoint one of the feuding parties as caretaker, the appointment was rescinded.
THEWILL had earlier disclosed that in a concerted effort to resolve the lingering crisis that has taken far-reaching legal implications within the administration of athletics in Nigeria, the World Athletics’ had ordered the AFN to hold its elective congress before June 14, as a way to get the Federation back under structured guidance and leadership.
This was the conclusion of a crisis resolution meeting between the representatives of the WA and the AFN held last month at the country’s capital in Abuja. Jackson Tuwei, the chairman of Athletics Kenya, and a Chief Executive Officer of the Confederation of African Athletics, led the visiting WA reps to the meeting and he was accompanied by a Senegalese Athletics official.
Although the ministry was quick to backpedal in the case of the AFN, it stood resolute on its dissolution of the other boards, a stance that further infuriated the dismissed board members. Rising from a meeting of the board members of all 31 federations, at the Presken Hotel, Abuja on Tuesday, May 4, they issued a stern statement totally rejecting the arbitrary and untimely dissolution of the boards of duly and democratically elected federations, to which was added an ultimatum for the sports ministry and the minister.
The part of the statement containing the ultimatum read: “The board members of the 31 sports federations hereby give the minister 48-hour ultimatum within which he is to rescind and reverse all unlawful pronouncements he made over the dissolution of duly appointed board members of sports federations or face appropriate reactions from the federations.”
It did not take long for the warning in the another part of the statement, which read: ”The members unequivocally stated that on no account will the caretaker committees be recognised by the International bodies of the various sports federations in place of the duly elected boards” to come to pass as on Wednesday, Khaled Babbou, Rugby Africa President, announced the immediate suspension of Nigeria from participating “in all Rugby Africa and World Rugby activities until further notice”.
In a letter to the ministry, Rugby Africa warned that if appropriate steps were not taken, in line with the approved constitution of the Rugby board, Nigeria would cease to partake in any of its global activities. The letter read: “We have learned of the dissolution of the boards of 31 sports Federations in Nigeria, including the above Rugby Federation to be replaced by a handpicked caretaker committee.
“We would humbly remind the Honourable Minister that the constitution of the NRFF which was ratified at their Extraordinary General Meeting held in Lagos on the 3rd of March 2018, was also formally approved by Rugby Afrique and by World Rugby at the time.
“This constitution, ratified at the National, Regional and Global level, as well as the Nigerian Olympic Committee, represented by its Secretary-General specifically stipulates the time and modalities for the elections for a new board of the NRFF which must be held by a duly constituted AGM.
“The dissolution of the duly elected board of NRFF is against the stipulations of the approved Constitution and is highly disruptive for the unions’ operations.
All these could have been avoided from the get go. There could have been no need to incense board members, receive letters of suspension from international sports bodies, jeopardise the country’s participation at the upcoming Olympics and evoke bickerings within the administration of sports in Nigeria.
THEWILL considers it inexpedient for the country’s sporting fortunes at the XXXII Olympiad to switch the boards only 77 days to the commencement of the postponed Tokyo Olympics and jeopardise the stability of the process from within, when the rest of the world is pushing for more stability and balance after the disruption to normalcy brought upon the world by the coronavirus pandemic.
THEWILL holds that, just as the ministry rescinded and revoked their decision of a caretaker in AFN in that case so as to allow elections hold as agreed at the crisis resolution meeting to allow elections hold by the June 14 deadline of their elective congress, it might interest the Minister, Dare, to allow the 30 other sports federations reconstitute as they were before the dissolution, organise elections that should be monitored closely and have the board members exit after the Olympics.
This will present a soft landing in this situation, as it allows the boards to serve out their complete tenures, keeps grouses and bitterness away to allow the Nigerian Olympics contingent benefit from the experience of the boards and prevent the minister from being subject to the indignity of such letters from continental and world bodies, ultimatums from its own sporting federations, and the accusations of starting a fire was an excuse for unpreparedness ahead of the Games in Tokyo.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
