Sack Sports Minister Dalung

Minister for Sports, Mr Solomon Dalung,
created panic among football buffs in
Nigeria when the Rio Olympic-bound U-23
soccer team on a training tour in Atlanta,
USA, could not be airlifted to Rio until a few
hours to its opening game against Japan.
Team handler, Coach Samson Siasia, drew
the Minister’s ire when he cried out over the
cash-strapped team’s ordeal in camp.
For reasons best known to him, Dalung
denied knowledge of Dream Team’s
preparatory trip to the United States. This
was in spite of Siasia’s communication with
him. The minister failed to visit or send help
to the team when the media were awash
with reports that they were stranded in
Atlanta.
The flight arrangement made for the team
was bungled. Nigeria was on the verge of
missing the opening match against Japan
before a bailout came from Delta Airlines,
which airlifted them to Brazil on credit. The
team braved the odds and went ahead to
defeat their opponents. They fought and
qualified for the semi-final, raising the hopes
for another Olympic medal.
We salute the U-23’s sense of patriotism
and abiding resilience that saw them subdue
their opponents against widespread
expectations. We commend the team for
rekindling the never-say-die spirit our
football teams are known for. These feats
were demonstrated in the Saudi ’89
championship when the Flying Eagles were
four goals down and came back to win the
match. The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Dream
team repeated the performance against
Brazil, by coming back from two goals down
and won the semi final game 4:3. The
dream team then proceeded to beat
Argentina 3:2 in the final from one goal
down.
What an irony that the Minister this time
rushed to congratulate the young men he
had earlier left in the lurch! We are alarmed
that Dalung could disown our national
football team despite the shoddy
preparations they were subjected to. He
even attempted to create disharmony and
indiscipline in the team when he instructed
team Captain, John Mikel Obi, to take
charge just because a frustrated Coach
Siasia lamented their predicament on social
media.All the sports associations have
complained of the Sports Ministry’s
incompetence under Dalung.
We join millions of disappointed Nigerians to
call on President Muhammadu Buhari to
probe Dalung for causing Nigeria serial
international embarrassments and his crass
incompetence.
His mismanagement of the Sports Ministry
manifested in many forms. Nigerian athletes
had to participate in the opening ceremonies
wearing track suits rather than the special
attires displaying our cultural elegance. The
Captain, Mikel Obi, could not be part of the
opening ceremony because of Nigeria’s
shaddy arrangement.
Dalung had also created confusion in the
Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) by
needlessly reawakening the rivalry between
contenders for its leadership. He is a square
peg in a round hole, and he should be
removed from office now.
Delta Airlines deserves a pat on the back for
its friendly intervention when we needed
help most. We are grateful. Source, vanguard