Dalung shouldn’t be taken seriously – Pinnick

The immediate past Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Barrister Solomon Dalung, has come under attack by the president of the Nigeria Football federation (NFF), Amaju Melvin Pinnick, who said the Plateau State born politician shouldn’t be taken seriously by anyone. Speaking on Morning Show, an ARISE TV programme yesterday, the FIFA Executive Council member […]

The immediate past Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Barrister Solomon Dalung, has come under attack by the president of the Nigeria Football federation (NFF), Amaju Melvin Pinnick, who said the Plateau State born politician shouldn’t be taken seriously by anyone.

Speaking on Morning Show, an ARISE TV programme yesterday, the FIFA Executive Council member said it is unethical and morally wrong for the former minister to continue to cast aspersions on his successor Sunday Dare.

Dalung had in a recent interview made allegations of misappropriation of funds and other corrupt practices in sports, and challenged Dare to explain the whereabouts of the N1b released by the federal government for the senior female national basketball team, D’Tigress.

When asked to react to the former minister’s allegations, Pinnick said “I think that is very pathetic. You do not de-market or disparage a system or government that gave you an extraordinary opportunity to be a minister. You enable that government from behind.

“For instance, a month before the Olympics, Ese Brume’s dad was very ill. He needed money for surgery. He called me and I provided funds for him to go for the operation. The father didn’t call Ese because she was concentrating on her preparations for the Olympics.

“She never knew about the surgery until after the Olympics. That is how you help a system that nurtured you to that great height. So, what was his motive? To me there are some things that are better left unsaid about the former minister.

“You can’t come to public space and be criticizing your successor daily, saying things that are not meant to be said. It is morally wrong, it is unethical. Under Sunday Dare, I am not here to defend him, there is relative stability in Nigerian football. I don’t want to go into any form of comparison because to say the truth, there is no basis for comparison.

“There are some people who shouldn’t be taken seriously. I don’t like talking about individuals when we should be talking about issues, issues that will bring about solutions and not killing myself over things that visibly, we all know that there is a motive. And what is that motive? It is a sense of entitlement to that office.