Bolaji Abdulahi: Sacrificing excellence on the altar of politics

 

Mixing sports administration with politics has been a dangerous development which has always reversed negatively with sports development.

Last week’s sack of former sports minister, Mallam Bolaji Absulahi remains a big shock and sad commentary on Nigerian sports development.

The removal of the Minister from office has been traced to his failure to openly associate with the political interests of the President in Kwara State.

Abudulahi, a close ally and former commissioner to former Governor of Kwara State, Senator Bukola Saraki may also have been dropped for his failure to openly disavow Saraki’s leadership of the state.

It was revealed that Bolaji Abdulahi had refused to openly associate with the new leadership of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, after Saraki and his followers defeated from the party to the All Progressive Congress, APC.
He was absent at the stakeholders’ meeting summoned by the state PDP Caretaker Committee, drawing insinuations of double loyalty from some political stakeholders in Kwara State.

His failure to address the crowd at the recent PDP rally in Ilorin to re-affirm his loyalty to the PDP government was perhaps the final straw.

A Glorious year

The milestone of successes of 2013 remain evergreen in the hearts of Nigerian sports enthusiasts. 

Following a dismal 2012, the fortunes of Nigerian sports could be said to have charted new paths to the glorious years where we were once globally reckoned in our field of events. 

The success story for the Super Eagles at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa in January and February after a 19 year wait was capped with the lifting of the trophy for a third time after previous victories at Nigeria 1980 and Tunisia 1994. 

Vincent Enyeama: In the form of his life BY KENNETH JUDE

 

There is an insatiable urge to comment on the exploits of the Golden Eaglets in the just concluded under 17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), at least if not for any other thing, but as a patriotic citizen and having watched these young lads put up such scintillating displays before the world. It is apt that one doffs his hat for them and the coaching crew. These set of rookies have been simply sensational, rugged and dogged hence their feat, I will elaborate and extensively analyze in greater details next week.