Let a sleeping dog ‘lie’ without disturbance is a metaphor that sometimes show how weak an individual is in terms of confronting issues that are personal to him. Is NSC a sleeping dog? Should we let NSC lay motionless because of a Giant (really puppet) at the helm? I was informed of new Sports Minister or Chairman of NSC that was recently appointed without any commissioner named to the commission he is to lead. I will say again that this appointment of Chairman and lack of appointment of commission members simply suggests that the country missed road again. The country got the chance to right the wrong but choose mediocrity once again and at that one could only expect garbage and lots of scandals based on ineptitude and deliberate affront to common sense.
Recent Scandal
Such garbage and scandalous action occurred within days of Danagogo’s appointment by the former Sports Minister favorite pal heading the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), with biggest blunder that vibrated locally and internationally. This loud uproar is AFN creation of its own Gestapo Empire where AFN is the prosecutor, judge and the enforcer of its own rule. Imagine this, AFN created a panel made up individuals lacking legal skills, medical skills, IAAF rules skills and formerly fired Saudi Arabia ineffective Coach to rule on issues concerning doping violations without any verifiable evidence. Without going in further details as this writer is aware of multi-billion Naira lawsuit pending, but it is safe to say:
1. The constituted panel is not independent of the accuser (AFN) and in fact have grudges that can be alleged as pay back to the accused individuals;
2. Eric Campbell and Dr. Ken Anugweje dissociated themselves from the panel resolve stating that they were pressured;
3. An individual was banned because the kangaroo panel said “it was not impossible for food supplement to be laced with banned substance”;
4. Femi Ayorinde does not have legal training or lab skills to identify banned agents, as this is medical law specialty not bachelor of surgery credential.
Clearly, AFN showed lack of leadership. Certain people are being finger-pointed and others been hidden from public scrutiny from doping offences. Panelists are afraid of lawsuits and now dissociating themselves from the panel conclusions and of course Eric Campbell can be sued in Georgia, USA for defaming his fellow citizen abroad. Mr. Campbell, there will not be jungle justice in Georgia rather your pockets and future earnings will pay for damages especially your cool $200,000 salary in Nigeria and any property you owned.
Furthermore, liberty or right to earn a living comes with unflinching exercise of such rights and only the judicial branch can rely on rules that may violate such rights but with one proviso and that is that it was proven beyond reasonable doubt that such person committed an offence. Can it be said that a parent feeding a child food purchased in supermarket can be banned because its’ not impossible for the food to be laced with banned substance. Well, only in AFN world of ineptitude and mediocrity can that happen.
Moving on, Commonwelth Games will be CommonWaste from all indications and it seems too late now to re-engineer the country’s preparation but this is not to take away our athletes’ efforts toward excellent performances. To do well will be a tall order that is so tall, but not impossible because miracle does happen, however.
Looking forward
Come 2015 there will be new people in charge of sports but its’ clear those imposed on athletes now are on path of destruction to pave way for the same mediocrity to continue.
NSC tampered with legislative creation of a Doping Centre by converting such federally Gazette property into High performance Centre without a legislative mandate to do so. Predecessor Minister brought in two individuals from abroad without satisfying Nigeria’s Procurement Act that Mr. Lamido Sanusi was accused of and this illegally hired individual sat on a panel that acted contrary to Nigeria’s constitution.
Now, AFN is destroying personalities that are relevant to the country’s success in the past and years to come because of its alleged likely hidden agenda to destroy athletics in the future and must be stopped immediately. Danagogo take note, take action or you must go. God help, Nigeria.
I rest
Dr. Rashid A. Balogun, CPA, LLB(Hons.), LLM(London)