National Stadium: Who advised Solomon Dalung? News

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National Stadium: Who advised Solomon Dalung?

By Daily Sports on March 6, 2017

I don’t know who advises Youth and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung. He courts controversies like a hobby. He is known as Mr. Controversy. As one intrigue is dying down in sports, he or any of the other pretenders that peopled the arena of late would instigate another. Sadly enough, such has been the lot of that sub-sector and for them; it has become a way of life since everything goes in the country.

It becomes a shameful, embarrassing and worrisome situation to very few of us that did not meet this kind of debasing state of sports administration and reporting. It has brought with it this upside down state of our sports.

Yes, Ondo High Chief and flamboyant dresser, Alex Akinyele, was man enough, to confess he knew next to nothing in sports but quickly vowed to learn fast and be on top of the tide of times then, Trust him and true to type, he did and made a difference. As a jovial Nigerian, he never talked on drop of hat on important policy issues.

It is on record that High Chief Akinyele came as a novice in sports but left as not only as one of the achievement oriented Sports Minister, but richer in knowledge on sports administration and language of individual sports.

But today, Dalung not only talks from both sides of his mouth on policy issues on sports but also dabbles into areas that have left his fingers badly burnt, but due to the fact that we run a vacuum system, he and his likes go scot-free with such deadly many steps backwards blinders, which in sane climes would land them in jail.

We saw how the CAF Elections issue that concerns the future of Nigerian players was bungled by first over ambitious Amaju Pinnick who smuggled himself into the race through the window without the knowledge of fellow NFF Executive Committee members and had the stamp of government who funds sports which football is one.

The illegality was given teeth last week Tuesday by Dalung. This is the only country you do any illegality in the public and still go free. The NFF chief has been beating his chest in victory over the likes of Sir Chris Green, Gara Gombe Ahmed Shauibu etc who advocated for due process.

Dalung, after blowing hot chickened out when the chips were down. He gave the nod that Nigeria should queue behind a little known lame duck, Madagascar’s Ahmad Ahmad who was in Abuja and did the needful, little wonder therefore you saw the social media awash with Amaju Pinnick’s Sports Journalists in Abuja and other states praising to high heavens and even calling Ahmad the messiah of African football.

That is the level Sports Reporting has been reduced to, by these shameless men and women without honour in this paradise disfigured called Nigeria. After reading their heavily induced and biased trash, I murmured: ‘don’t call me a Sports Journalist’ after going through the argument presented by a certain Reporter with one of the leading television stations from the Abuja centre. It was the shame of Nigeria and sports reporting.

My last line on Ahmad is, the type of change Nigerians bellowed for which has long choked the citizenry today is what African football is almost in for, if this dull looking Madagascar defeats the old war horse, Cameroon’s Issah Hayatou.

As if the last Tuesday jolt by the very inconsistent Dalung was not enough, he was in Lagos the following day (Wednesday) to cement the handing over of one of the national assets to the Lagos State government.

Yours in Sports was there to witness the yet another controversy spiced with illegality. Fact is that today’s administrators as epitomised by Dalung and Amaju have greedily bestowed upon sports, the inglorious title of rabble-rouser, self-inflicted injuries and where black legs abound.

Nigeria football is confusion personified at the moment. From all angles, it is un-abating. As if the controversy trailing CAF elections of March 16, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dalung belatedly endorsed Amaju Pinnick and his illegalities. Close sources said the man from the Plateau was prevailed upon to allow the sleeping dog lie because it was already too late to rock the boat which would pave way for Beninese Anjorin vying the same position with Amaju to sail through easily.

It was why Dalung ate his words to pave way for Nigeria for a seat in CAF executive committee level after Amos Adamu’s exit.

Look at this, every nook and crooner of the National Stadium complex was inspected. It was a roundly bad situation he met on ground. Every facet was damage incorporated. But the complex generates huge revenue from all the tenants and tickets thousands of vehicles that come into the stadium pay every day. Dalung did not tailor his questions towards that area, because he knows where the multi-million naira that the stadium generates goes. Dalung made policy statements on the Stadium. He came alone. For instance, the Director of Facilitates and others who were supposed to be there were missing.

One is still at a loss as to how a stadium built from the scratch with the Federal Government money, a national asset that belongs to the 36 states of the federation and Abuja would be given to one state….. Haba!

Only one state out of this can lay claim to it. It is an obvious admittance of failure by the Federal Government. Analysts have described the hand over plan by the duo as illegal. The process has to be clearly cut out, not on political party basis.

They faulted Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s watery argument that his state’s quest to take over the National Stadium was chiefly premised on the ground that Ahmadu Stadium, Kaduna has already been handed over to the Kaduna State government, also Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium handed over to Enugu State government and UJ Esuene Stadium given back to the Cross River State government.

Let me make it clear that the above narration or information by Ambode is wholly slanted to suit him and the Lagos State government.

For the records, all the three stadia mentioned above, were started and finished by the respective state governments from the scratch. The Federal Government only took them over for the purpose of World Youths Championship U-20 in 1999 and U-17 Cadet World Cup in 2009 respectively, when the country hosted the tournaments.

Enugu, Kaduna and Calabar stadia does not have same status as the National Stadium, Lagos. The different is clear. It is unheard of for Federal government to wake up one morning to announce that it has entered into any manner of understanding with one state to take over one of the national assets simply because such is domiciled within such state. Such move must go through laid down process one of which is the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. APC government derives strength via embarking on silly and ill-advised device thereby forcing bitter pills down the throat of the citizenry the national stadium is a current case in point.

When Buhari woke up from his nightmare and announced the consideration of sale of remaining national assets, Nigerians raised in disagreement even the foreign loan stuff he muted before relocating to London.

It is obvious that no one state can just take over any of the national assets under any guise. Other states, co-owners of the National Stadium would feel not only betrayed but also short changed. Dalung and Lagos State government must be advised in the overall interest of other federating units to hands off the unholy marriage. The edifice belongs to all no matter where it is currently situated. We should get ready for the takeover of national theatre also by Lagos State.

Lagos can conveniently embark on entirely new stadium complex. The resources are there. But for this existing one that belongs to all should be left alone. It is capable of fanning discordant embers and also, send wrong signals. Who did Dalung consult before making this yet another wrong and very controversial move? To say the very least pundits have been scandalised on this absurd, though it has been the hallmark of this deceitful government.

If the National Stadium nonsense by Dalung and his co-travellers are not nipped in the bud, we should get ready to witness the state of breakdown of law and fragile peace in the country whereby states that host any national asset would corner it from the back yard as Lagos is hell bent on doing. We are closely watching Dalung on his undertaking mission to put Nigeria on fire. Discussion Continues on twitter. Keep shooting hard. Till next week!

Source Daily Sports

Posted March 6, 2017