By Daily Sports on September 23, 2019

Until his closeness with the former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Sunday Dare was a senior journalist. He served the strongman of Lagos politics, who has a long history of rewarding those loyal to him and Dare benefitted immensely from this political generosity and this time at the Federal level as the Sports Minister.

Let me point out here, that the above assertion has been and served as the main staying power of this Osun State-born politician, whose decades in Nigerian politics has fetched fortunes and power as he has widened his network of loyalists and enemies alike. Bola Ahmed Tinubu knows thoroughly how to effectively oil his way and attract friends and this accounts for why his loyalists are legion, with many playing the role of obsequious idol worshippers. He knows how to hold them spell-bound as he never sleeps because he eats, drinks lives and sometimes act in a way some have described in different quarters and fora as dirty. This enigma of Nigerian politics is another day’s topic if necessary!

When Dare was appointed into Buhari’s cabinet, the informed knew who facilitated it. When he was assigned to head the Sports Ministry, he was hailed and this column also gave him benefit of doubt, postulating however that we have to keep our fingers crossed.

I never wanted to say anything on Dare until such a time one has observed him, his carriage, activities, actions, and inactions in decision making and taking as it affects our sports.

However, the event that has been trending in both the social media and polity on Super Falcons technical hand, Dennerby and his employers cannot be watched just like that. In short, one cannot fold his hands and sit on the fence as this will not bring the needed solution to the naughty problem, debacle or international face-off between the NFF and Dennerby.

I want to state categorically that the international mess by the Swedish was unnecessary. His sudden “I am no longer interested in the job” is a faux pas. It is immature and a grand attempt not only to ridicule Nigeria before the international community but also to put the country’s image in a bad light.

He has wide opportunities to trash out what is on the international domain now, internally, without this hassle. His action, from whatever angle you may be looking at it, leaves a sour taste in the mouth and is roundly condemnable and absolutely irresponsible of a supposedly experienced and exposed sweat merchant. His move, one would say was once upon a time a recurring decimal in Nigeria football administration and some of her foreign national team employees.

Whatever his action was targeted at, whether he has achieved it with his Nigerian backers would remain a question and answer only him and his connivers would tackle sometime with history. Taking a mere disagreement between the employer and employee to that extent portrayed him, Dennerby as a saboteur.

My stand is, if he made up his mind to leave the NFF job, it ought to have been on a round table instead of the other way round that portrayed him as bad news.

Let me not be misunderstood in any form. I am not backing NFF on the allegations Dennerby raised. My anger boiled to high heavens because the Swedish national never followed due process. He knew the labour laws or to put it this way, the dos and don’ts in the contract he signed with NFF.

I believe also that the contract is written in English language and lawyers to both parties must have also interpreted such to their clients accordingly. For him to wake up and act the way he did that had attracted this huge attention, to put mildly, is killing a fly with a sledgehammer.

I feel scandalized and those actors with him must be beating their chest or even clapping their hands that their devilish mission had been accomplished, hence the Minister’s intervention. This columnist insists that Dennerby and his cohorts are the failures and history would at the end of the day judge them harshly for their insincerity.

But for the NFF, going for a Grade A coach comes with so many sacrifices and the Dennerby story is a case for critical study for the future. I have often said that there is no Nigerian way of doing things internationally. It is either you embrace the international best practices or be disgraced and stripped naked in the international arena as Dennerby has just done to the country.

Fact is that Nigeria’s image has been regularly tarnished internationally by public officials and so this meant nothing to her. The country has already lost her bearing before the international community that after all, Dennerby’s expensive joke has as usual been taken or seen in governmental quarters as one of those things.

NFF did not do its home work well. Let me be honest with you, that I thought the era of this Dennerby mess is over in our football history but for it to rear its ugly head again meant that it is like anything in Nigeria where odd things constantly emerge and even given permanent access.

It also supports the assertion that Nigeria as a country learns nothing and forgets nothing which has once again confirmed her as a country without any definite system or direction. Despite all the motion and no movement by the Buhari/APC deaf, dumb, propaganda and arms wasting method of governance, this claim has gradually stuck.

In as much as Dennerby has not done well by his avoidable action, NFF has also shown that a leopard never loses its spots. It has put the country and her leaders in every sphere as the unserious. What this Dennerby show of shame has further put forward is that the country is just patching a sharply divided nation; that the government tells her people lies, with activities full of deceit.

Without any prejudice, this columnist thumbs up decisively to the swift action of the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare for the hammer he applied no matter how little or big space it achieved. He made use of the journalist in him to dust the already bad situation. The Minister’s timely intervention remains highly commendable and a lesson to others.

Dare’s first litmus test had been that of applause from those that knew the extent of work he has done and it is well-done to him. I met him several times on the beat when he was in the Vanguard as a former Bola Tinubu’s aide and I must say he impressed me those times. He knew his job well and his then principal knew how to play the ball. Applying thoughtful action as he has just done would assist the Minister to go farther now that he is in charge of one Ministry that has singularly helped in boosting Nigeria’s battered image among the comity of nations.

To put it bluntly, the Sports Minister has scored high points just a few weeks in office. It showed he would do well if he comes out in time to intervene in burning issues that would be cropping up in this controversial but serial corrupt sector like Nigeria itself. Administrators and its players in sports are not claiming of being free from bribery and corruption like their counterparts in the Presidency, NASS, NNPC, States, Local Councils, Ministries, other government agencies, etc, but Sunday Dare stood up to call a spade by its name. That is how it should be.    

He saved Nigeria further embarrassment and name-calling. He showed leadership qualities which sadly the President lacks.

As we still discuss the Dennerby/NFF show of shame because of its dare consequences, the last may not have been heard of the whole mess. Our social media handles are active 24/7. As usual, only refined and intellectual contributions are allowed; we have been keeping to this rule. Keep shooting hard till next week!!

Source Daily Sports

Posted September 23, 2019

Pogba can’t be happy at Manchester United: France...

SportAccord convention hailed as 'huge success'

I’m ready for Strickland fight – Adesanya

Depleted Barca Win At Mallorca

New SWAN Chairman Visits Akwa Utd, Wishes Team...

Atletico Increase LaLiga Lead With Victory At Villarreal...