By Adewale Ajayi
On October 23, 2024, president Bola Ahmed Tinubu took some bold decisions in the first phase of his cabinet reshuffle, with the appointment and reassigning of a few ministers.
One key decision that caught many by surprise, was the scrapping of the Sports Ministry and the return of the National Sports Commission. That singular action, has continued to generate opinions from key stakeholders who have expressed happiness that for the first time in a long while, the presidency have decided to appoint a technocrat for a sector that offers so much but gets so little in the area of capable leadership and funding. To them, this is an indication that the present government is listening to cries of the people.
The decision to scrap the Sports ministry and set up the National Sports Commiasion is also seen by many, as the right step towards repositioning the sector for optimum results.
However, what many did not know, is that the appointment of Mallam Shehu Dikko as the new chairman of the Commission, did not just come out of the blues. It is a well researched and highly recommended appointment that was done with the interest of the sector and the Nigeria youths at heart.
For the first time in a long while, this particular appointment has no deep political undertone. It is not the usual payback political appointments done by previous governments to appease some known and unknown gods.
Following Nigeria’s failure to win a single medal at the last Olympic Games in Paris, the Federal Government made wide consultations with key stakeholders within and outside the sector and were reliably informed that what the sector needs, is a responsible, capable, focused and dependable goal getter who understands the problems of Nigeria Sportsmen and women and knows what to do to get the desired results.
A few names were mentioned among an exalted class of technocrats but Kaduna State born Mallam Shehu Dikko stood out from the rest.
It was a very easy decision to take, knowing his track records in sports Marketing and Promotion. With over twenty five years of active success in the industry, Dikko has esterblished himself as one of the best brains the sector can boast of.
The fact remains too, that over the years, Shehu Dikko has carved a niche for himself as a champion in sports business. He is more interested in how to squeeze money out of the pockets of the ever difficult corporate bodies and has remained ever consistent with clamoring for sports autonomy.
As chairman of the league management company (LMC), Dikko and his team did so well in raising the profile of Nigeria football by focusing more on improving the standards of sporting facilities, improving the standard of officiating and standard of play while also rebranding the overal image of the league and repackaging it to attract corporate sponsorship.
Same man was also at the forefront of creating a template for the extensive marketing of Nigeria National Football teams to attract corporate attention.
Those legacies did not go unnoticed. President Bola Tinubu only had to take a closer look at his rich curriculum vitae and years of experience in the field before endorsing his appointment as chairman of the National Sports Commission.
Since that appointment was made about three weeks ago, sports stakeholders have continued to praise Mr President for putting a round peg in a round hole. Many believe that this singular decision could give the present APC government led by president Bola Ahmed Tinubu more than fifteen million votes in the next presidential election.
The reason for this calculation is not far fetched. There are over fifteen million Nigerians involved in active sports today. Majority sre full-time sports men and women who earn a living from doing what they love doing. These young men and women make up the larger percentage of Nigerias voting population and the decision by president Bola Tinubu to assuage their taste for capable leadership in the sector is viewed by many as a political masterstroke
In the midst of the present economical hardship, these youths believe that the coming of Shehu Dikko and the National Sports Commission is very timely. They envisage that in the coming months, the sector will experience a boom in corporate sponsorship, there will be more competitions in all the sporting federation, improved funding from the federal government to sporting federation and ultimately, the country will win more medals at international competitions.
The former second vice president of the Nigeria football federation, Shehu Dikko, is aware of the huge responsibility bestowed on him, he is also very much aware of the expectations of Nigerians and have set the ball rolling by engaging key stakeholders in the sector with discussions on how to achieve the desired results and how to impress President Bola Tinubu for for believing in him by giving him this opportunity to change so many narratives in a sector that definitely needs to shoe workings and results.
Adewale Ajayi writes from Canada
