BY SUNDAY AKINTOYE
Sports entrepreneur and Chairman Gombe Athletics Association, Hon Ahmed Gara- Gombe, has advised the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to appropriate a dime for the National Sports Commission (NSC) as the body has enough capacity to raise funds to drive sports in Nigeria.
Gara-Gombe said this in a statement released on Saturday via his social media handle, insisting that those that claimed to have the capacity to woo sponsors should not be given a whooping sum of N78 billion budget to drive e-sports project.
The statement states that “Presently I have read reports disappointedly in some media especially in the social media and some print media, even in some television stations scrolled messages celebrating N78 billion federal government appropriated for the National Sports Commission.
“Unfortunately, the same people mandated to manage our sports are not ready to change their old past ways.
I remember the same way they were celebrating the N78 billion was the same way they jubilated when Super Sports signed a contract with League Management Company (LMC) for a sponsorship totalling about N3 billion.At the end of the day, the money was mismanaged and squandered and Super Sports pulled out.
“They are now celebrating N78 billion we have not seen. I am sure, when the funds are finally released, they will feast on it.
I want to inform Nigerians, federal government and and the world in general not to release the money, though, budget is a document of intent, but whatever it is, government should not release the money to the National Sports Commission (NSC).They are not ready, that place need to be sanitised first before such money should be released.
“I want them to prove me wrong.Do we need to put N78 billion in Nigeria Sports, for what? This same people talking about e-sports economy are already parading their Curriculum vitaes (CV) that they have the capacity and ability to raise funds for the growth of Sports in Nigeria.
“Sports Economy and Renewed Hope Agenda slogan they are shouting about is just deception, nothing is going to happen. They don’t have the credibility to be entrusted with public money in their care.
“Remember, NSC Director General, Bukola Olokpade is under investigation at the moment, the Chairman himself, Shehu Dikko was investigated by ICPC and his property seized. The money gave to him in the past to manage LMC was mismanaged and he was sacked. The former sports minister Sunday Dare who sacked him is in the Villa now.
“When are we going to learn lessons? We must not give them money now until they are ready to change their ways. Nowhere in the world government spend such money, the NSC hierarchy should use its contacts, after all, they told us that they have contacts, they should use it to raise money for sports economy.
“Sports economy is not run through public funds.This was the same deceit that took them to the Nigerian Stock Exchange where they Rang Bell (Gong) making people believe they are serious about raising money for Nigeria football, at the end of the day, it became a charade as nothing came out of it, even the sponsors they met in the office left.
“We have to be careful, the campaign to sustain transparency, openness and accountability in sports must not abate, it should continue if government is serious about fighting corruption in Nigeria,”the statement reads
Gara-Gombe suggested that effort should be made to re-establish Team Nigeria Concept, appoint trustees and give them such money to manage, strictly for raising funds and managing same.
The sport adminstror also stated that government should withdraw from giving funds to sports.
He disclosed that It is sad that former Sports Minister, Sunday Dare claimed to have sourced for funds and spent 1 million dollars from Aliko Dangote in renovating the Abuja Stadium.
“Unfortunately today, from Badagry to Maiduguri, Nigeria cannot boast of standard stadium that can host CAF and FIFA football games. And the man who allegedly used the money is hiding in Aso Rock as an aide to the President.
“Do we also have to recall given someone N24 billion for Olympics and AFCON and the fellow mismanaged the money, we didn’t ask him to account for the money but simply deployed him to the Ministry of Trade and Investment to hide. Who does this things to us,”the statement stated.
Gara-Gombe also hinted that sports sponsorship is a corporate world business noted that government only provides the enabling infrastructure.
“No government in this world pumps N78 billion into sports to be managed by those that called themselves experts in sports marketing and promotion. No sponsor will see people with N78 billion to spend and agrees to come close,”he said in his statement.
Gara-Gombe remembered how NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko’s Property was seized by ICPC and, he was removed as LMC chairman.
“And I don’t want to know how Sheu Dikko got back to the system. But for now, he is not ready to change his ways and we have seen it.The NSC director general is also under investigation for allegedly collecting money from Federations.
“I want to use this opportunity to inform all federations and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) to start preparing their books to give account of funds received from sponsors such IOC, ANOCA and international Federations affiliated to them.
“Sadly, I read a report where the NOC President Engineer Habu Gumel presented his 2024 annual report without statement of accounts of funds spent or received.
I will ask questions, let all of them get ready for me.
Its interesting to note that Federation scribes were swapped to new positions,
“However, It doesn’t call for any celebration because, it’s an old practice that changed nothing in the manner of Sports.
“This is my message for the New Year” Gara Gombe said.
