Ministry cabal excluded me from federations’ elections – Kienka

The Director, International Tennis Academy, Godwin Kienka, has commended Youth and Sports Minister Solomon Dalung for reforms introduced in the nation’s sports federations’ election held last Tuesday in Abuja.

Kienka, who was also the chairman of the ministerial committee on sports reforms in Nigeria, said the minister deserves kudos for implementing the reforms despite threats, pressures, propaganda and inducements from interested parties.

“Kudos to Dalung for seeing this through despite threats, pressures, propaganda and inducements. Our sporting youth would definitely be better for it,” Kienka said.

On his exclusion from contesting the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) presidency, the former tennis player said it was the handiwork on the cabal in the sports ministry who are opposed to the reforms in the nation’s sports sector, which he spearheaded.

“My contrived exclusion from contesting the presidency of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) by the cabal in the sports ministry and outside of it who were fighting to nullify the reforms up to the day of the elections, is a very small prize to pay for the ongoing reforms.

“The cabal asked the NTF Electoral Officers to insist that candidates for Vice President and President could only come from the 13 members of the board made up Zonal reps and Institutional reps when there was no such provision in the guidelines and the Hon. Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, had taken pains to explain at the inauguration of the ECs and given clear directives that all those who met the deadline and requirements must be allowed to contest.

“Proof that I was pointedly targeted, because they were smarting from the reforms, was that Mary Onyali with no constituency was allowed to vote and be voted for in Athletics while I was accredited as a delegate, allowed to vote but not qualified to be voted for,” Kienka stated.