Sports entrepreneur and Chairman of Gombe State Athletics Association, Ahmed Shuaib Gara-Gombe has called on President Bola Tinubu to sack Sports Minister John Enoh over the exclusion of top athlete Favour Ofili from the 100m event at the Paris Olympic Games, describing it as National embarrassment.
Gombe, in a statement also urged Tinubu to impose serious sanctions on President of Nigeria Olympic Committee, Habu Gumel and Athletics Federation of Nigeria president (AFN), Tonobok Okowa as deterrent for future abuse.
According to Gombe, “Favour Ofili not listed for the 100m event at Olympics is most unfortunate and serious embarrassment to our nation, also an embarrassment to Mr. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and to all sports stakeholders”
He stated that he was aware of the initial reactions from the Minister of Sports and also read statements and reactions on his X handle, insisting that he did not expect such statements from a Minister.
Gombe said: “The negligence, Inefficiency, the Corruption that has eaten deeply into Nigerian Sports are the root cause of this. The Sports Minister, unfortunately, has promoted corruption in the sports sector that’s why we find ourselves in this mess in AFN.
“Since the Minister took office, he has refused to listen to those who would tell him the truth and the true situations in Nigeria Sports,” he said.
Gombe wondered why the Sports Minister is pushing the blame to AFN, NOC. “Yes! These Federations should take the blame, but as the number one sports administrator in the country, he should take all the blame. I put the blame entirely on the door steps of the Minister.
“He cannot claim ignorance of the rot in the Athletics Federation. In fact, the Ofili case is just an insignificant fraction of the rot, corruption and inefficiency that is going on in the Athletics Federation.
“In a saner clime, by now, the Minister John Enoh, NOC President, Habu Gumel and of course, AFN president Tonobok Okowa should have resigned but because they have no shame, under normal circumstances.
“With all that had happened, it would be difficult for the Minister to take any action. If he is to act now Gumel and Okowa should be recalled and sent back home. Why is it that nobody cared about the psychological effects this action would have on Ofili’s state of mind considering the fact that she is going to represent Nigeria in other events.
“No one had also considered the contagious effect the injustice on Ofili will have on other athletes.
“Mr. Present Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done everything possible in providing the funds for the Olympics, every Kobo we asked in sports has been provided though the Minister has failed to account for it when we asked. This is one scandal too many. one negligence, inefficiency too many,” Gara Gombe said.
The former Gombe United Football Club Chairman added that “Should the minister fail to resign, the president should sack him immediately.
And that if the president is not ready to sack him, then, he would go to court and request that the minister be sacked.
He said: “ I don’t care about NOC or AFN, I’m concerned about the Sports Minister because he is the architect of this Problem. If his statements on his X handle is anything to go by, it’s very embarrassing, talking about Nigeria not being the only country having issues similar to Ofili’s case should not have been uttered. Who Cares?
“Telling Nigerians that AFN and NOC Presidents have not rested since Ofili’s issue came to light is uncalled for. When they were supposed to work they were resting. I feel they are resting now. If you investigate carefully, the former AFN and now defacto president Solomon Ogba has destroyed AFN in the past and he is also the same man dictating the pace in AFN.
“Ogba, a friend of Engineer Gumel, has free reign between Gumel and Okowa. He heads a committee in NOC and almost 90% incharge of AFN. His disastrous poor handling of AFN in his 8 years tenure has been brought back, misleading and misguiding Okowa,” he said.
Gombe added, “We have a lot of work to do, if all principal actors in this Ofili case fail to resign, Mr. President should Sack the Minister or send him to another ministry. The Minister has taken wrong steps so far in all his decisions in Sports.
“Engineer Gumel and Okowa should immediately return to Nigeria, they don’t have the moral right to occupy the global space.”
Meanwhile, Ofili begins her 200m heat on Sunday