Enoh Plans Massive Shakeup of Nigeria’s Sports Federations
FALLOUT OF PARIS 2024 NO-SHOW
•Says: “Federations are coming and it will be the perfect platform to get only those who have something to offer Nigerian sports to lead the various sports”
As curtains fall on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games today after 19 days of competitions, Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has hinted that reconstitutions of the governing boards of Nigeria’s sporting federations will be the first casualty of the inability of the country to win any medal here.
Angry at Team Nigeria’s medal ‘No Show’ at the Paris Games despite the huge financial support the Federal Government released to the contingent, Senator Enoh insisted here that there will henceforth be stiffer scrutiny of those to make up the new boards to be constituted at the forthcoming elections later in the year.
“We did everything as a Ministry to prepare the athletes adequately and provide them with every financial support but unfortunately the performance has not produced any podium finish,” began the Sports Minister at a media session with the country’s sports journalists covering the Games at the Nigerian Embassy here.
He continued, “As we go back home, we must do everything to prevent the future occurrence of this Paris disaster and if this will entail the review of how people are elected to lead our sporting Federations, it will be done.”
Emphasizing the importance of upcoming federations’ elections, Senator Enoh noted, “I know that elections into the Federations are coming and it will be the perfect platform to get only those who have something to offer to lead the various sports.”
Reflecting on the complexity of these elections, he added, “I am aware that the Sports Federations Elections in Nigeria are even tougher than our National Elections and you will begin to ask yourself why is it so.”
The Minister concluded, “So for me as a Minister, it is important I supervise Elections where only the best hands will lead the various Federations. I also understand that in some of the Federations, their constitutions will need to be reviewed for better inclusion.”
The country’s biggest hopes for medals, Tobi Amusan (100m hurdles), Ese Brume (long jump), the women wrestlers (Blessing Oborududu) and even the track and field relay teams, all flopped monumentally for Team Nigeria to be leaving Paris 2024 today empty handed as they did at London 2012 and even
Rio 2016 save for the bronze medal won by the Under-23 Dream Team.
