By Daily Sports on June 15, 2020

Last week shortly after this page went to bed, the news of the demise of late Samuel Okwaraji’s Mother broke and it still trends. Let me say that Samuel, a former Super Eagles patriot died in active service. He died while playing for Nigeria in a World Cup qualification game against Angola, at the once prestigious football arena, the most celebrated National Stadium Lagos, now a sad shadow of itself and a typical reminder of what is synonymous with this supposed ‘paradise disfigured’ called Nigeria.

It was one tension soaked football encounter I have vehemently prayed never to witness again, which eventually claimed the life of very erudite player then plying his trade in Germany. A recap, he does not wait until the NFA sends his flight ticket before arriving the Super Eagles camp. He used his money to fly himself to wherever the national team camp was and wait for refund later, if at all.

That patriotic show by the late player made him more enemies among his colleagues that misunderstood the liberal minded late player. Before I draw the curtain on this, it is instructive to note that his late Mother was also abandoned until the other day Sunday Dare remembered her and promised thence on to be doing the needful for the upkeep of the woman but death did not give that laudable move by Dare, a chance.

It must be pointed out here, though with a pitch of salt, the yet another hoax called the inauguration of a Ministerial Committee that has been mandated to turn up within the shortest possible period, immediate and remote issues that still held down efforts geared towards bringing back the edifice to full sporting activities again.

I watched Dare and his Committee on television and instantly dismissed it with a wave of the hand. I further described it as dead on arrival. We have seen this kind of Dare’s move many times and after all noise as it were, it fizzles into all motion, no movement syndrome especially when these showmanship Sports Minister’s interest is to give job to the boys in the name of  bringing the abandoned National Stadium back to life.

These quasi, demi committees in the past failed woefully to make impact but the boys had been settled for their hatchet men’s job. Now, Sunday Dare is at it again. He inaugurated his Committee last week which would like their past counterparts  develop a document which would at the end of the day join in the Ministry’s archives like many other documents supposedly designed to resuscitate the once magnificent edifice National Stadium Lagos. The stadium otherwise known as Sports City has hosted many international sporting summits in the 2nd All African Games in the 1970’s and the finals of the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations tournament which Nigeria hosted and won for the first time in her continental football history sojourn.

Let me say that there is nothing wrong in embarking on the adventure. Dare did what he is supposed to do. Nothing wrong with such move and one only prays that it won’t be another effort that would end up inside the refuse dump of history like many others. If Sunday Dare at the end of the day shoots himself on the foot, it won’t be surprising to keen observers and pundits of the said arena.

Let me be honest with you that I am simply scandalised that Sunday Dare opened his eyes and inaugurated this instead of silently working with some willing and wealthy, trusted, honest, responsible and respected individuals like Alhaji Kensington Adebutu to bring this once upon a time paradise betrayed National Stadium, Lagos, back to its former old beautiful self instead of this yet another wide goose chase.

One is but to “siddon look,” how this would work out this time though nothing is impossible. Nigeria is a complex society where white turns to black in broad day light. Dare has succeeded in most of his programmes on his bid to reinvent sports since he was assigned the Ministry and equally burnt his fingers badly in some too. One must acknowledge that both divides have earned him popularity either negatively or positively because in journalism, bad news makes good or great copy.

Let us keep our fingers crossed as the Committee is sitting and also working round or square, the clock, to bring up recommendations that would guide Sunday Dare to find lasting solution and courageously implement what would bring the moribund National Stadium back to hosting local and international sporting meets once again.

STOP PRESS: League Management Committee (LMC) has announced that the Premier League would not hold for the season and it will evolve how champions would emerge. We are watching!!

Our social media handles are on 247. Come on; let’s keep shooting hard till next week!!!       

Source Daily Sports

Posted June 15, 2020

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