Dalung’s Reforms Elicit Hope For Sports Dev In Nigeria
BY MAGNUS OKU
Leadership is not a static endeavour but a task that demands fluidity and willingness to recognize the need for change and the ability to inspire change. No doubt, this is what Barrister Solomon Dalung stood for in the past few years when held sway as Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports Development.
Since the inception of Democratic dispensation in 1999, Nigeria has witnessed the emergence of many Sports Minister dating back in time to the tenure of Damishi Sango; Mallam Bolaji Abdulihi and Tamuno Danagogo, but one can easily argue that there has not been achievements of such huge magnitude in a single administration as what the nation had during Dalung’s three and half year in office.
Like him or not, Dalungs’s passion for sports reforms helped him set amazing records as well as prove himself one of Nigeria’s very best Minister in the history of sports development in Nigeria.
As a matter of fact, the Plateau State-born lawyer has been the most criticized Sports Minster and also the most successful so far. His admirers believe that criticisms, to him, were rather a key fueling factor for performance as they further energized and helped him to become better and more successful in his assignment.
By this, most critics were disappointed that a ‘poison’ meant to kill him rather strengthened the Man for excellence showing while serving his fatherland as the Sports Minister.
I recall an event where Barrister Dalung, while addressing Sports journalists, said though he has been the most criticized Sports Minister; he was not deterred and only used such as an encouragement to do better in service.
According to him, when he hears ‘SACK DALUNG’, it never made him to hate the writer, but only saw such as a wake-up call for greater work. No wonder Dalung interestingly achieved what several sports administrators could not achieve for several years with proven facts on ground to show.
Dalung’s agility, innovation, disruption, fluidity, decisiveness, commitment, and above all, a bias toward action, led to the institutionalized reforms seen today in the nation’s sports sector. He was able to identify the need for change and we all know that the need for change exists in every organization as every organization must willingly adapt to changes in order to survive and remain competitive.
This, Dalung began by democratizing the sports sector in Nigeria. It is the effective implementation of the change agenda by Dalung that resulted in the evolving, growing and thriving sports industry during President Muhammadu Buhari’s first four year tenure.
The immediate past sports Minister’s impressive stride in youth and sports development are visible and cannot be denied. Under his watch, the new look Sports federations and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) came alive, thereby enhancing Nigeria’s sports status and relationship with the world football governing body, FIFA to the extent that the organization found it convenient that Nigeria should host its Executive Football Summit (EFS) in February 2018.
One can also recall that only last year, the ex-Minister recorded milestone achievements in sports development with Nigeria’s emergence as overall champions at the 5th African Wrestling Championship held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital from February 7 to February 11, 2018. Nigeria also came first in major category of the championship with 90 Gold medals and for the first time, Nigeria participated in 23rd Olympic winter games held between February 9 and 15, 2018 where the trio of Shewun Adigo, Ngozi Owunmere and Akona Amioga not only made history, but also achieved their personal best at the games.
Similarly, Team Nigeria finished strong at 2018 Commonwealth Games after a four year break, winning nine (9) Gold; nine (9) Silver; and six (6) bronze medals; The D’ Tigress made history as the first African team country to qualify for the next round of FIBA World Cup, finishing eighth (8th) in the world for the first time. This was a good build-up from the 2017 achievements that included Nigeria’s smooth qualification as first African country for Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup without a presidential tax force being set up and saving the nation a lot of resources that would have been wasted in such venture. Indeed, it was an outstanding achievement as the Super Eagles not only made it as the first African team on the qualification list, but also with a match left to play in the series. Furthermore, we can recall the big breakthrough by D’ Tigers at the FIBA African Championship and the exploits of D’ Tigress at Afro Basketball Women Championship between 2015 and 2017 among other heartwarming performances recorded in athletics, wresting, volleyball, football, Special Olympics and Paralympics among others
To consolidate on the good works witnessed at the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development as well as reclaim Nigeria’s lost glory in sports, it is only but wise that we retain a man of passion; vision and reforms on the saddle: Barrister Dalung.
God bless Nigeria!
Magnus Oku writes from Abuja
