By Daily sports on July 26, 2021

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games started on Friday, July 22, in faraway Japan. Nigeria is physically present among other competing countries. However, whether Nigeria will haul medals in the sports she will participate in is a different ball game. On paper, there was preparations to that effect but the quality of athletes the country will muster remains a different ball game altogether.

One will but cheer the most sought after biggest all sports Games in the World that was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The whole world will be glued to their television sets and other communication networks to watch the best and friendly competition among athletes during the games.

Notwithstanding its propaganda, lame duck, poverty-distributing and bad leadership, the federal government is almost on home ward bound, its Ministers and other government officials of all shields, shapes and sundry have been having field day looting and stealing money from national coffers in the name of whatever while claiming to be working in the best interest of the Nigerian people who this regime have relegated to the background, unleashing hunger, killings, banditry, herders attack, insincerity in all ramifications.

Yet, all these doomsday signs and warnings are not touching the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Muhammadu Buhari obviously because they are sadists. They are adamant and indifferent to warnings. One is not surprised because from his history, human lives and act of living better life are off his dictionary. And sadly his Ministers and other government official are looting their various domains and nothing and absolutely nothing is happening about it. The anti-graft agencies are looking the other way but deeply in witch hunting political opponents and harassing governors from the other divide a ply that have seen changes for far of being clamped into indefinite  detention which Buhari knows best to do.

It is not hidden that the last four years of Buhari has seen great lull in sports due largely to the appointment of a wrong person into the Ministry what was witnessed was the looting of sports by the man from Plateau State for his 2023 Governorship ambition under the platform of APC. He was dropped this second unfruitful term of Buhari and Sunday Dare from Oyo State was appointed.

When he was announced, many clapped for him celebrating the fall of the man from the Plateau. I did not clap because having been on this beat for over four decades I knew many of them inside out. As usual, I have long been proved dead right the way and manner he started and how he has fared so far,

Like a typical Nigerian, he came into sports with listening to quasi and demi-gods that have existed in the arena. They have misled him and created avenue for him to be making his money to adequately finance his 2023 Governorship ambition in Oyo State on the platform of APC.

He brought the very misguided and illegal Guild of Sports Editors, a mischievous group that has robed sports writing of her traditional cohesiveness that was all embracing.

Let me say here that there are very few of them though senior colleagues amongst them that I still have great measure of respect for despite allowing themselves to belong to that enclave. This illegal Guild that has failed to be all inclusive due to selfishness largely takes the blame and misfortunes that befell sports writing and administration in the country today.

To be honest with you, you don’t need to be an insider before knowing that there has long been steady decline in the quality of sports reportage in the country because of the activities of this illegal Guild of Sports Editors and other individuals that have combined to reduce this once-upon-a-time vibrant beat that has in the past exposed corruption-ridden sports administrators and their tendencies.

Those supposedly able roles of watchdog in the beat are sadly things of the past today because of the unscrupulous activities of these individuals in that uncalled for group dealt devastating blow of the sport writing beat in the country as they go from one top sports administrator or the other to solicit for recognition and at the end of the day blackmail them into submission which today has become the trouble with sports writing in the country. Top on this list are Sports Minister, NFF President, Presidents of national sports federations. That is why you read nothing but press releases on them. The dirty deals that are a daily recurrence are off the news. That is what we have faced, though not only on sports beat but in the entire journalism today.  

We are all aware that in Nigeria today where every government official is readily afraid of their shadows embrace such groups for protection. These gullible Sports Ministry and NFF officials patronise them out of fear.

We have seen how Sunday Dare has rendered sports divided via his agenda. Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) is one of the sports federations he has rendered near useless. He uses his divide and rule gimmick to make his money from these factions which are keen on undoing each other in money and material to the Minister for recognition. That is what is happening in today’s administration of sports in Nigeria.

He is keen on contesting for the governorship primary of his political party. The ticket he is hell bent in clinching. He is stilling gathering funds to fight money for money during the primaries and nothing would be given to chance. He has like his Justice Ministry counterpart collected from NFF which was why he has put his eyes off the apex football body, until the other time mere lips warning to NFF on the efficiency or otherwise of Rohr.

The Tokyo Olympic Games we saw Nigeria in rag-tag like until some few days after the team Nigeria’s kits arrived. We are keenly watching how these athletes will perform in that global sports meet where only the best are displays in all events.  His utmost interest is the money that would come into his pocket for the realisation of his 2023 governorship aspiration. We are all aware of how much cash that goes into seeking of political office in Nigeria.

Truth is that no more critical searchlight on Sports officials however that can be said to be national melody since journalism of what the stomach will eat took the front burner of late. Journalism unions and beat association are formed majorly been turned into avenues for negotiations with top government officials in Buhari/APC government that have made the loudest noise of corruption fighting which has long turned out to be the most hit in corruption practice and embracing wholesale.

It remains sad commentary on this country that would have miles ahead development wise if sincere and honest steps and measures are channeled towards such direct in the past and present most dreaded and painful six years plus of this deceitful Buhari/APC regime has plugged the entire country into unbearable debt burden, scattered economy, killings, agitations’ due  largely to lopsidedness of his lameduck  government and his knowingly cutting off one whole distinguished  component that Nigeria standing  upon because of he (Buhari’s)  self endemic  abhorrence  of that important section of Nigeria.

As Sunday Dare is having a field day unchecked destroying sports where his immediate predecessor stopped his own brutality and killing of sports, consolation is that sooner than late he will become history here and all those that aided and abetted with him will face history.

Our social media handles are busy 247 let receive your feedback numerously as usual. We will continue to outlive them despite their going scot free with their national loot. Keep shooting hard, till next week. The struggle continues

Source Daily sports

Posted July 26, 2021

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