Minister of Sports and chairman National Sports Commission (NSC), Dr. Tammy Danagogo, has pleaded with the handball federation board not to emulate the administrative crisis rocking Nigerian football, stressing that the stakeholders have failed to display the spirit of sportsmanship.
The Minister who made the appeal while inaugurating the board of the handball federation, argued that most management crisis in sports is not far from personal and sometimes selfish interest or egoistic desires.
His words: “The caliber of persons in the board of the handball federation is a confirmation that the game will go very far in this country. The game is one team event that is equally very strong in the country.”
“I am sure that the leadership challenges you had must have halted your rapid growth but I believe that with the resolution of the crisis, you should be able to take your pride of place as quickly as possible.
“Handball is one game I personally like, I played the game when I was in the university but I have to confess that I did not make a success out of it. As I said I was happy that you are able to resolve the crisis within yourself. That is the true spirit of sportsmanship. It is sad when sportsmen fight over this issue and forget that they are sportsmen. Sportsmanship presupposes that a spirit of give and take.
“For you to be able to resolve your differences by withdrawing your case in the court and come before us today to be inaugurated deserve commendation. I would want to call on other federations to emulate handball.
“One thing actually killing our sports is the rivalry within the ranks of the management. There is unhealthy rivalry among the stakeholders that ought to give government the necessary support to ensure that games succeed.
“No matter how government is determined to do to promote sports or how much government wants to spend, if those of you who are the bridge between governments and the players or athletes are quarrelling, then it will be difficult for any government policy to be implemented.
“I will continue to call on our federations that have internal wrangling to do everything possible to resolve the crisis among them. We should always put ahead of us the interest of the game and the country before our own personal and sometimes selfish interest or egoistic desires.
“In most cases, it is always about making us to believe that he is the biggest and strongest. I think that should not be. It should be what is best for the game and for the country and the citizens.
“I am happy that those of you in handball were able to realize this. I call on you to ensure that you fast track the development of handball in Nigeria. I strongly believe that it is an achievable task,” he noted.
Football crisis worries Ekeji
The immediate past Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Dr. Patrick Ekeji, has lamented the administrative crisis wrecking the Nigerian football family, stressing that very soon Nigerians with cognate experience and corporate managers would take charge of the running of the game.Fielding questions from journalists after paying courtesy visit to the Minister of Sports, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, the former Nigerian player and athlete revealed that his autobiography would be launched on October 23 in Abuja.
Asked if he is really worried by the NFF crisis, Dr. Ekeji replied: “Of course, the fact that the crisis degenerated to this extent actually worries me. But I want to quickly add that this is part of development.”
“Nigerian football administration is evolving and I can tell, with seriousness, that in the immediate future, we are going to begin to see Nigerians with cognate experience constituting the football federation.
“We are in a process of development so it is likely that all sorts of persons will come in but we progress, the statute will accommodate Nigerians with corporate experience, real knowledge of how to transform and turn things around.
“We must know that our football is very key especially football management and if is well done, there is so much money in football that it will no longer depend on the budgetary whims and caprices. Nigerian football can do what tennis is doing in UK, swimming doing in Australia, and what gulf is doing elsewhere,” he said.
On the launch of the book and its content, the former sports commission boss said: “Everything about is fascinating and the launch comes up on October 23 in Abuja. As for the cost of the book, I have not put a cost because I have not calculated the total cost the book took me.
“I am not going to give Nigerians a book that is so expensive that people may not want to buy it immediately. It cannot be too cheap either because I used the best publishers in the country.
“It is a book that captures the trajectory of my experiences and my life up till this moment. It also contains a bit of my growing up and my activities as a sports person including my days as an active footballer. It chronicled the footprints I left in the sports ministry, it contains lessons for the youths, parents, sports administrators, students and sports officers.”
“It is at one moment a story and at another, a reference document. I wrote it is such a way that it makes for simple reading. I did not want it to be voluminous that a fast reader can finish in the morning. I did not take side because it is not a memo where I make recommendation.
“I wrote in such a way that any reader is free is free to form his or her own opinion about the content of the book. I want to say, however that the content is verifiable facts. I wrote it in very simple English that any reader does not need to put dictionary by the side before reading it.
“The title, Odyssey of a Green Eagles took time into consideration. It is odyssey because it took care of my life, Green Eagles because every stakeholder knows it reflects the national team. Since I was a Green Eagles, this is Odyssey of one of Eagles,” he revealed.
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