On October 4, the election of principal officers into a few of the ‘risky’ sports activities federations can be held. Stakeholders reckon that the sports activities fee can guarantee peace and stability by making certain each contestant performs by the principles and on a degree enjoying discipline, CHRISTIAN OKPARA reviews.
Most progressive nations select solely match and diligent individuals to run their vital sectors, together with the sports activities sector, which has turn into an enormous instrument in worldwide diplomacy and financial improvement.
In lots of such nations, the leaders of the sports activities federations are headhunted and saddled with the duty of making certain that such nations leverage their youth inhabitants to realize glorious leads to worldwide sports activities. Some others permit stakeholders in every self-discipline to elect their leaders, believing that such elected people would work harmoniously to develop their sports activities and produce athletes who would symbolize their nations credibly. Nigeria falls among the many nations that elect their sports activities federations’ leaders periodically.
Nonetheless, in latest occasions, electing leaders for a few of these federations has turn into problematic, with crises all the time trailing each electoral cycle. A few of these crises linger for years, with the aggrieved events lurking round, ready for one more election cycle to aim to grab management from the incumbents.
As an example, the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) was mired in an intractable disaster in 2013 following what some individuals described because the undemocratic re-election of Tijjani Umar as president.
The stakeholders’ grouse with the important thing elected officers was that a few of the eligible voters have been disenfranchised to pave the way in which for Umar’s victory over his then-challenger, Musa Kida, in the course of the polls.
These aggrieved stakeholders, led by Col. Samuel Amedu, filed a case towards the conduct of the election earlier than the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC). The NOC reportedly delayed listening to the case and later wrote a letter to Amedu advising him to go to court docket. On attending to court docket, the court docket dominated that the case was statute-barred.
Surprised by the end result of their quest, the group bided their time and finally succeeded in ousting Umar within the subsequent elections, with Kida changing into NBBF president.
Kida had a near-smooth experience in his first tenure, however his re-election bid was challenged by a bunch led by the proprietor of Mark Mentors Basketball Membership, Igoche Mark, who was alleged to be from the Tijjani Umar camp. Kida, nevertheless, weathered the storm and secured a second time period in workplace.
Having served his constitutionally stipulated two phrases, the battle for the NBBF presidency is about to be reignited, however not on this electoral cycle, because the federation’s elections can be held subsequent yr.
The hitherto risky Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) was in a position to maintain its drama-filled polls early this yr with not one of the “losers” electing to go to court docket to problem the end result. That is not like the final two workout routines, which have been marred by allegations of malpractices and court docket instances difficult the outcomes of the elections.
The Nigerian Boxing Federation (NBF) is one other physique that has had its fair proportion of management crises, with the most recent resulting in the suspension of its vice chairman, Azania Omo-Agege.
The NBF, led by Gen. Kenneth Minimah, suspended Omo-Agege for indulging in acts allegedly inimical to the curiosity of the nation. Omo-Agege, however, introduced Minimah’s suspension as NBF president and pronounced himself as the brand new president of the physique.
Right here is the place the present challenge lies: Gen. Minimah shouldn’t be contesting for the place, having exhausted his two phrases in workplace. The query many are asking is, “Will Omo-Agege be allowed to contest for NBF’s high place?’’
NBF’s Secretary, Faseesin Olalekan, couldn’t verify whether or not Omo-Agege is certified to vie for any of the positions on the board. He stated, nevertheless, that there have been talks about dragging within the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, to vie for beginner boxing’s high place.
He added: “Anybody who meets the eligibility standards set by the electoral committee can be certified to contest. The candidates can be identified sooner or later.”
Just lately, the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) introduced that 13 of the federations would conduct their elections utilizing their authorized constitutions, whereas the others with out authorized constitutions would maintain theirs utilizing the NSC tips.
The NOC additionally affirmed that the NBBF has no points with its structure, including, nevertheless, that the federation will maintain its personal polls in January 2026, which is the top of its four-year tenure.
Aside from the rules, there are a lot of different points stakeholders in Nigeria’s sports activities anticipate the Nationwide Sports activities Fee (NSC) to handle earlier than the polls slated for October 4.
Just lately, the NSC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, introduced that his fee was restructuring the governance construction of sports activities federations and would arrange a governance code that will information their operations.
Because of that pronouncement, the NSC lately arrange standards for these contesting for positions within the federations, particularly those that need to turn into presidents of the our bodies.
The NSC revealed that it could conduct elections in 18 federations, together with aquatic, chess, handball, golf, karate, darts, fives, tennis, wrestling and Wushu Kung Fu.
Others are scrabble, hockey, badminton, boxing, taekwondo, squash rackets, conventional sports activities and deaf sports activities. It stated that the authorized nomination type could be obtainable for assortment and submission on the secretariat of every federation from September 6 to 11 throughout official working hours, whereas advising aspirants to finish and return the shape throughout the stipulated timeframe.
Dikko highlighted that the NSC is at the moment drafting important tips geared toward facilitating a {smooth} electoral course of throughout the federations. This initiative coincides with a latest reshuffle of sports activities secretaries in every federation, positioning them strategically forward of the elections. “That is all about making a recent begin,” Dikko defined, emphasising that the introduction of recent secretaries will inject recent concepts and power into the federations.
Final week, the NSC introduced the formation of a seven-member electoral committee for the elections, headed by a retired director of Area and Elite Athletes, Dr Simon Ebhojiaye.
However there are some stakeholders who really feel that the NSC is treading the outdated route, which has all the time triggered issues after every election cycle by not first dissolving the present boards of the federations.
A few of the aspirants are of the opinion that merely establishing an electoral committee shouldn’t be ample to make sure transparency and honest play for all individuals within the elections.
In response to one of many candidates, who pleaded anonymity, “the tenures of the present boards of sports activities federations have expired; why are they nonetheless in workplace? If the NSC genuinely seeks to advertise transparency and equity for all, it ought to dissolve the boards. Permitting them to stay in workplace and conduct elections is tantamount to giving them an undue benefit over different candidates.”
He alleged that the NSC could be condoning illegality by not dissolving all of the boards earlier than establishing an electoral committee to handle the election course of.
“Dissolving the present boards is the one means we will make sure the integrity of this train,” he stated. Even with the ultimate elections but to be held, the Nigerian Desk Tennis Federation (NTTF) is witnessing what seems like a precursor to greater issues after the polls, with a few of the stakeholders accusing the present NTTF board of plotting to hijack the electoral course of.
One in all such “alarmed” stakeholders is the incumbent gamers’ consultant on the board, Kehinde Aiyelabegan, who lately urged the NSC to take over coordination of the election from the NTTF.
Aiyelabegan additionally urged that the elections, initially scheduled to be held in Lagos, be moved to Abuja to curb alleged manipulations and guarantee a free and honest course of.
The North-Central consultant on the board alleged that some NTTF board members have been plotting to hijack the method, and expressed concern over what he described as looming malpractice.
“In previous elections, all technical and gamers’ representatives offered letters from their respective state sports activities councils to verify their eligibility to vote. Now, there are plans to open up the elections, violating established procedures.”
Proffering an answer to the frequent disaster in a few of the federations, the proprietor of Dodan Warriors Basketball Membership, Col. Amedu, stated that troubles come up in sports activities federations when individuals attempt to manipulate the method to go well with their egocentric designs.
In response to Amedu, who can also be president of FIBA Africa Zone 3, a few of the stakeholders really feel aggrieved when elected officers fail to hold different board members alongside in decision-making.
“There isn’t a disaster within the NBBF now, although the board members should not proud of the president, who shouldn’t be finishing up the desires of the opposite board members. However that doesn’t imply that there’s a disaster.
“Issues come up in most federations because of the perspective of the leaders. As an example, when leaders are campaigning, they promise that they’ll abide by the structure, however once they get into workplace, they flip the place right into a one-man present; they relegate their board members to the background, and run the federation like their private fiefdom. A few of them go into the elections with private agendas.
“However {that a} president shouldn’t be doing nicely doesn’t imply that there’s a disaster. It’s as much as the stakeholders to vote such individuals out within the subsequent election.”
