Buhari will not interfere in sports administration – Abdullahi
former minister of sports, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi says the administration of General Muhammadu Buhari will not interfere in the administration of sports in the country.
Abdullah, who spoke to sports writers in Abuja yesterday, said rather the administration will give free hands to sports administrators to use their initiative to develop and implement policies that would move the sports sector to greater heights in line with the aspirations of the government.
He said that the administration will have no reason to interfere with sports policies and administration because experienced administrators would be given the responsibility to ensure the success of the sector.
The former minister, who under his tenure the Super Eagles won the African Cup of Nations in South Africa in 2013, however ruled out the possibility of returning to the sports ministry where he was adjudged to have performed well, stressing that he has done his bit and have moved ahead.
Abdullahi, who regretted that sports suffered the problem of interference and impositions under the outgoing administration, noted that the lack of desire to implement objective policies negatively affected the development of the sector.
“People get opportunity to serve and they try their best and that was what I tried to do and I have moved on seriously, if the president elect feels that I should come back to sports, of course I have a choice but the point is that I have closed that chapter of my carrier and I have moved on.
“I believe that the problem that sports had under the out going administration is that there was no desire to allow objective implementation of policy, there was too much meddlesomeness at the political level. People who should not be getting involved were coming in and there was interference with the way things should be done. You are not likely to get that under this administration I can assure you.”
“That is quite significant because the manner of his emergence has also shown that the power of democracy has come to the people of Nigeria. Now it is the people of Nigeria that will determine what the government will do and not the other way round, that is quite significant,” Abdullahi explained.