Furore over sports federations election guidelines
One of the most topical issues at the moment in Nigerian sports is no doubt the sports federations election guidelines recently released by the minister of sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung.
The tenure of the present boards will come to an end soon and activities have commenced for the conduct of fresh elections that would produce new leaderships to steer their affairs for the next four years.
Consequently, a meeting of stakeholders was conveyed by the sports minister in Abuja on April 13 to help with a framework for the 2017 elections.
After intensive deliberations by the ministry bigwigs and stakeholders in Nigerian sports, guidelines for elections into the various sports federations were announced.
Without recourse to the statutes of international sports federations, the meeting voted overwhelmingly that anyone who had done two consecutive terms in office as president or vice president of any sports federation should not contest in the forthcoming elections.
The meeting also resolved that anyone who is presently a member of an international sports federation is not eligible to contest to be president or vice president of any sports federations.
Going by the now controversial guidelines, at least four prominent sports federation presidents, Engineer Habu Gumel (Nigeria Volleyball Federation), Engineer Sani Ndanusa (Nigeria tennis Federation), Chief Solomon Ogba (Athletics Federation of Nigeria), and Tijani Yusuf (Nigeria Basketball Federation) are no longer eligible to contest.
The most contentious item in the guidelines is no doubt the decision that anyone who belongs to an international sports body should not seek for election into any of the national sports federations.
In this case, Gumel who is the president of the Nigeria Olympics Committee, member of the International Olympics Committee and vice-president of the international federation of volleyball is the number one victim of the new guideline.
Expectedly, the guideline banning Nigerians who are members of international sports bodies from leading the national sports federations has not gone down well with most Nigerians who feel it will only have adverse effect on the country’s sports in the long run.
In a swift reaction, the Nigeria Olympics Committee held its Executive Committee meeting in Lagos on Wednesday and condemned in very clear terms the electoral guidelines released by the sports ministry.
The body among other things said the guidelines on national sports federations elections have not conformed to the statues of international sports federations and called for harmonization of the guidelines.
The NOC stated that the eligibility guideline does not confirm with the International Olympics Committee charter and constitutions of the international sports federations.
The body also frowned at the appeals committee as composed by the ministry saying there is no guarantee for fair hearing of cases that would come up.
Thus, at the moment, there is no love lost between the NOC and the sports ministry over the guidelines that have shut the door in the face of so many Nigerians who are interested in becoming members of the national sports federations.
Meanwhile, a patron of the Nigeria Olympics Committee, NOC, and former Chairman of the then Nigeria Football Association, NFA, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima has called for collaboration between the NOC and the sports ministry.
He advised that elections into the national sports federations should not be conducted outside the statues of international sports federations.
Galadima also questioned the rationale behind the decision to bar Nigerians who are members of international sports federations from becoming presidents of national sports federations as he said Nigeria will be shooting herself in the foot.
“Of course one does not have an idea of who the stakeholders were and why they came out with the electoral guidelines.
“It is hard to explain why Nigerians who are members of international sports federations would be excluded from the elections at a time that we are trying to encourage Nigerians to become members of international federations.
“We have to go global in line with international best practices. International sports federations have their statues and we go and take part in the tournaments in line with these statues so we have to also conduct our elections in line with the guidelines of the international bodies.
“If our elections are not done in line with the statues of these international bodies, then we are shooting ourselves in the foot.
Galadima therefore reiterated that the only way forward is for the ministry and the NOC to come together and find amicable solutions to some of the issues that would degenerate and cause the country more embarrassment, if not addressed in time.
“What is important is that those in authority should be better enlightened on the guidelines that govern sports globally. NOCs are custodians of sports when it comes to the Olympics, All Africa Games, and Commonwealth Games so the collaboration between the NOC and the sports ministry has to be properly strengthened out.
He also said the guidelines should not be designed to ‘punish’ anyone because he learnt recently that some sports presidents had complained that funds appropriated for their federations were not released to them.
“Just recently stories emanated that some federation presidents had complained of their funds not getting to them and so it is possible that some people may misconstrue their position to mean dissent and may decide to hand out some punitive measures.
“If that is the case, it will not be in the best interest of Nigerian sports. This is the times for everyone to come together for us to find lasting solutions to the problems that have bedevilled our sports,” he said.
However, a former Secretary General of the then Nigeria Football Association, NFA, and Senior Lecturer in physical and health education at the Bayero University Kano, Dr. Tijani Yusuf applauded the new guidelines as he said it is progressive in nature.
He said time has come for people with fresh ideas to come in and administer sports in Nigeria saying the wind of change i blowing across the globe and Nigeria shouldn’t be left behind.
“What is the argument for?. Are they saying without these five people sports cann’t move forward or somebody else can’t do anything better than what they have done?.
“There is change going on everywhere now. Are you telling me the president of Switzerland Football Federation will go and contest for the president of FIFA and be holding the two positions? It is never done in other sane climes.
“These people have done their best in their two or three terms, let them allow other people to also do their part. There is nothing wrong with that.
“There is nothing continuous about it. Let others come and contest. This is tsunami guideline and there is nothing wrong with it. Let people with fresh ideas come in,” said Yusuf.
Whether or not there are dissenting voices over the new election guidelines, activities regarding the 2017 national sports federations’ elections will commence in earnest on April 25 with the sale of nomination forms.
While zonal elections will hold on May 9, election to the positions of federation presidents and vice-presidents would be on June 9.
The new national sports federation boards would then be inaugurated on July 6.
There is nothing continuous about it. Let others come and contest. This is tsunami guideline and there is nothing wrong with it. Let people with fresh ideas come in