By Daily Sports on December 17, 2018

The curtain for very colourless National Sports Festival ever was drawn last weekend with Rivers State emerging as the overall winner of the national Sports summit.  If you watched what was termed as the opening and closing ceremonies, it called for a national cry. That was what was left of the once prestigious sports festival.

It is a pure waste of time talking about the malpractices that characterised the officiating by umpires and sundry. It has become more like spilt milk. Nobody should take credit for whatever achievement except for the huge funds that were yet again wasted, lining some people’s pockets. For instance, there was in some sports outright buying of results yet some people are already beating their chests that they have staged a ‘wonderful’ festival. To keen watchers, it was one fraught with ambiguities for want of a better word.

In short, that is how the once toast of a festival has been totally reduced under Solomon Dalung that no doubt is an undertaker for Nigerian sports. This column congratulates River State under the dynamic leadership of Governor Nyesom Wike, whose transformation of sports facilities and the turning of the Garden City State as construction site has been unprecedented in the history of the country.

It was a well-deserved victory because His Excellency has invested much in the athletes, workers and officials and the only way to say thank you Mr Governor was to do what they have just done. It is a befitting one and overall, the best way to say thank you, sir, for the encouragement.

To be honest with you, It is a bright Christmas gift for the Governor whose support for the athletes and sports infrastructural developments have been nothing but impressive and whose impact is what is now on the ground. However, one prays that the next edition would mark a dramatic departure from what we saw in the recently concluded Abuja 2018 event which was charade personified, typical of the Sports Minister.

This week, we will discuss the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung a man with a coat of many colours. To start with, the man is controversy and confusion personified. It will be an overstatement to repeat here that he has turned sports upside down in the country. He is also known for his penchant of talking on the drop of a hat. He is also reputed for making imaginary enemies for himself only to go back in the night to dine with such people he demonised during the day.

Foremost, he is noted for his rabble-rousing instincts, i.e crying wolf where there is none. So as far as keen watchers of sports in the country are concerned, he has the inglorious reputation of being among the lowly performing Ministers of the very ineffective President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. Dalung succeeded in creating division and other cracks in sports since he was appointed to oversee this critical sector he thought anybody can with all ease administer. Sadly, he came with such mindset but got more than what he bargained for and became thoroughly overwhelmed.

More so, rather than improving upon the system he met on ground, he scattered it. He has performed so woefully that his compatriot and predecessor in office, Damishi Sango who was adjudged the worst Sports Minister became a star performer in comparison. . It is no hidden truth that his actions and inactions so far has severally called to question what manner of man he is. It is incompetence taken to the limit. He blows hot and cold at the same time which has made his calls or statements to be taken with a pinch of salt.

It will be a complete waste of time to itemise his confusion in sports since he mounted the saddle. It has been an abysmal failure from one end to the other that he created for himself the middle name of an unserious official. After he exposed himself to world ridicule, the NFF election and another saga he created during the run-up to the poll finally nailed him and also totally diminished whatever tiny goodwill he had before the unsuspecting public. Let me confess that after that encounter which hit him like a thunderbolt, the man from the Plateau has been licking his wounds and lying very low too. I heard him speak when the Super Falcons retained the African Women Championship Cup hosted by Ghana. Another time was when 2018 failed Abuja National Sports Festival was on hand.

I don’t want to remind you, dear readers, that Super Falcons that were promised to be hosted by the Federal Government is yet to be given audience. The three times appointment scheduled for the team with Mr President failed. That has been the jinx. Just last week, he started his wild goods chase race this time on the 2016 bonuses of Super Falcons.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying he was wrong on his allegation of non-payment which is bad if it is true. My anger ran to the high heavens when I learned of the way and manner he went about it. If there is a relationship between him and NFF, this ought not to be for the public consumption. You don’t let the cat out of the bag in critical times like this except for someone who is bent on playing a mischievous role to score a very cheap and insignificant point as Dalung has just done.

This reporter as experienced as he is on the beat can without any equivocation say that the Sports Minister when it suits him plays spoiler’s role which has splashed murky water on his face oftentimes. It further showed he is not a team player, yet he is presiding over a Ministry that team play is the order of the day if there must be positive results. Dalung can aptly be described as a goalkeeper that scores himself. His outbursts in the public that he has approved the payment of the said bonuses to the players since 2016 leaves soured taste in the mouth.

In short, his aim is to get at the NFF that rubbished him for his infamous role during her election this year. Dalung’s action again gave him out as an abstract player. He has gained nothing by saying what he did than to go deep down to unveil the truth about the payment. One is not holding any brief for NFF. It is possible that the money had been released for payment but few people cornered it. If it is true, it won’t be the first or even seventh time we have witnessed such anomaly. Our take here is that whoever has the money for the team since 2016 must be fished out and the bonuses paid to the players without any further delay.

If it is true that the money had been released, there is no reason whatsoever for it to remain in the hand(s) of these ungodly heartless workers of both the Ministry and NFF. The era whereby “monkey dey work baboon dey chop,” must be totally eradicated. If we are still talking about 2016 bonuses of players either in the national teams or club sides, it then meant that something fundamentally is wrong with our system and those that are saddled to administer various sectors.

I have not changed my age-old stand that a labourer deserves his/her wages no matter how big or small. It is man’s inhumanity against his fellow man if such abnormality still holds water in both the Ministry and NFF. Now the ball is in the court of Amaju Pinnick. The NFF supremo must step in to fully unravel the mystery that led to not paying the 2016 bonuses of the girls as exposed by Sports Minister recently. This is one witty allegation which must be looked into critically and urgently and the result brought to the public knowledge. Dalung has spilt the beans. Nobody must be shielded. We want to know these gold diggers that specialised on feeding fat on the sweat of others, a practice this writer thought has gone for good.

We must know because it is a very sorry narrative.  Super Falcons despite such ill-treatment by the NFF as alleged by the Sports Minister played with their whole heart and retained the trophy she won two years ago. Such is enough patriotism and a lesson in the character of real true Nigerian.

Super Falcons showed how it should be and played to win. Whatever monies that are accrued to them should be settled so that we can start on cleaner slate. Sports Minister’s outburst though uncalled for because he has access to Amaju Pinnick is faulty and a very wrong administrative lapse. It is the wrong way to score whatever political or otherwise point. Whatever his intention (s) has further increased his dark points and unsportsmanlike behaviour.

Without any prejudice, he knew the best way to do that and my take is simple and resolute. The players must be paid their deserved hard earned bonus. It is their right. They are not begging for it. Whichever hand(s) that is/are holding it must let loose and let the girls pick their sweat. You don’t rip where you did not sow, it is natural law. It is only good enough and natural that these players be treated like human beings.

Since it is almost impossible for Mr President to host the team for winning the 2018 AWCON held in Ghana, their bonus of 2016 must be paid to them and culprits brought to book. Only such a move and measure would be acceptable. No more, no less.

As we keep our fingers crossed, let’s keep a date with our social media handles on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Keep shooting hard, till next week!!

Source Daily Sports

Posted December 17, 2018

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