All eyes on Elegbeleye, new NSC DG

Immediately Dr. Patrick Ekeji’s tenure as the DG of the NSC ended, the minister of sports, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi reportedly sent the names of four renowned sports administrators, two in the NSC and two from outside the commission to the presidency for Ekeji’s successor to be picked.The name Elegbeleye was not mentioned when Dr. Bolaji […]

Immediately Dr. Patrick Ekeji’s tenure as the DG of the NSC ended, the minister of sports, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi reportedly sent the names of four renowned sports administrators, two in the NSC and two from outside the commission to the presidency for Ekeji’s successor to be picked.
The name Elegbeleye was not mentioned when Dr. Bolaji Ojo-Oba, Malam Alhassan Yakmut, both of them directors in the NSC, Chief Solomon Ogba, president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and a former commissioner of sports in Ogun State, Olapade were said to be on the list the minister had sent to the presidency.
Favoured to take over from Ekeji was Dr. Bolaji Ojo-Oba who indeed boasts of the required knowledge and experience to hold the office. His main challenger in terms of professional competence was no doubt Plateau State born sports administrator, Yakmut who rose through the ranks in the commission to his present position as director in charge of grassroots sports development. The two had their eyes glued to the office of the DG.
However, few hours after the elections into the boards of the different sports federations in Nigeria were concluded in Abuja, the presidency announced the appointment of the former deputy chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports, Gbenga Elegbeleye as the new Director General of the sports commission.
Elegbeleye’s appointment came to many as a surprise because while the jostling for the lucrative office lasted, his name was never mentioned, at least not in the media. Those who expressed the deepest surprise and disappointment were the people believe the position should be occupied by a thoroughly bred professional.
However, for those who know that such appointments can be made based on political considerations, the appointment of Elegbeleye neither surprised nor disappointed them.
Most critics of the appointment said it only goes to show how the present administration is less interested in issues of sports. For such critics, if the presidency had looked beyond political considerations, a more befitting Director General would have been appointed for the Sports Commission. Such people’s major concern was that the new DG lacks the experience and knowledge to drive the commission and sports development in the country.
Furthermore, those opposed to his appointment said it is wrong for two politicians without track record in sports administration to head the sector. According to such critics, a minister of sports can be appointed from any background but the Director General of the NSC is supposed to be a sound sports administrators who would formulate policies to be executed by the minister. In this case, the minister and the DG are all politicians whose knowledge of sports administration is questionable.
It was also said the appointment of the new DG negates the principle of federal character as the minister of sports, the DG of the commission and the Director of sports, are all from the South-West. Although it is usually argued that sports should be exempted from federal character, critics of Elegbeleye’s appointment insisted that such argument is tenable only in selecting athletes but not administrators of sports.
In as much as those who swung Presidency’s attention in the direction of the new DG have argued that he is not lacking in knowledge of sports and administrative acumen, his involvement with sports does not go beyond the two positions he held as a member of the management committee of Rising Stars FC of Akure and deputy chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on sports.
So forth and back, the arguments and criticisms that trailed Elegbeleye’s appointment went but the dust eventually settled after he assumed office. The former  Local Government chairman in Ondo State is now in the saddle and rearing to go.
While different individuals and organisations are still queuing to facilitate with him and position themselves for favours that would flow from his office, prominent sports administrators are also sending their words of advice. Most of his advisers said for him to succeed, he must work closely with the professionals in the commission. This was the position held by former NFA chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima when he spoke to our reporter. “For Elegbeleye to succeed, he must work closely with the professionals in the commission. He is coming in newly and would need to be guided before he settles down to his present assignment”.
The Special Adviser to Ekeji, the immediate past DG, Alhaji Abba Yola also queued behind Galadima when he said the new DG would not lack competent professionals to work with him in the sports commission.
“The new DG has the required personnel on ground. Nobody has been touched. The only officers who have left the commission are Ekeji, myself and Gora. There are still better officers in the commission who can help him to move sports forward. I have worked with most of them for close to a decade and I know their capabilities and I know what they can do.
“If the DG would accept to work harmoniously with the officers, they will surely provide him with the enabling environment to succeed. And I think he will take them along because his predecessor succeeded because he had a cordial working relationship with his officers”.
For now, expectations on the shoulders of Elegbeleye are really huge and all eyes are on him to prove his critics wrong. Most Nigerians are not satisfied with the recent performance of the country in sports. It is said Nigeria’s achievements do not reflect the talents that abound in the country.
Elegbeleye’s primary responsibility as the new Director General of the NSC is to chart a new course for sports development in Nigeria. He is coming on board at an auspicious time when boards of the sports federations have been reconstituted and the presidents with their members are eager to make a difference. It is hoped he will join hands with the willing federations to move the sector forward.
The new DG’s litmus test will be the 2013 Commonwealth Games in Scotland. It is one event that will test his ability to coordinate the various sports in the country for enhanced performance on the international scene. For now, the sports fraternity is waiting to see how the former chairman of Ondo State Waste and Environmental Board who is also a Fellow Chartered Institute of Local Government and Public Administration as well as Fellow Chartered Institute of Management Accountants will deliver in an ‘unfamiliar’ terrain.