2022 NOC Election: What Has Gumel Done For Nigeria Sports?

What Has Gumel Done For Nigeria Sports?

By Niyi Busari

Many have asked about contributions of Nigeria Olympic Committee President, Engineer Habu Gumel's contribution to sports development in Nigeria.

The recent campaign of calumny against the person of Engineer Habu Gumel by those who are threatened by his continuous rise and achievements call for concern. Gumel, by all standard, is a man of no mean repute who has seen it all, contributed immensely to Nigerian sports for decades. Not only that, he is a global figure among the relevant top officials in international Olympics Committees.

Those are who drumming this drum of Pull Him Down (PhD) apparently are ignorant of the enormous contributions this great man of success has brought to Nigeria. Majority or most of these 'campaigners' are definitely in their diapers when Gumel's journey in Nigerian sports started. 

For the records, Gumel attended the Technical College in Kano from 1961 and 1966. Thereafter, he went on to study at the Civil Engineering Institute in Kiev (former Soviet Union) from 1970 to 1976, where he received his Masters of Science in Civil and Structural Engineering. 

Gumel, the man they love to hate, started his career in 1976/1977 (that is about 46 years ago) at the National Youth Service Corps Scheme, for the Yankari Games Reserve in Nigeria. Between 1977 and 1983, he was General Manager, Bauchi State Cooperatives Building Association Limited from where he became Deputy Chief of Engineering from 1983 to 1984 and then later Director of Engineering from 1984 to 1985 of the Bauchi State Agricultural Development Program. He was Deputy General Manager of the Federal Housing Authority in Lagos, from 1985 to 1992, and then Executive Director of Operations for the Federal Housing Authority in Abuja from 1993 to 1999.

And to cap it all, he served as President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) from 2000 to 2001, as well as President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) from 2004 to 2010. He was in 2009 the Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund and in 2014, he became a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering.

Gumel's foray into sports administrators began when he became the Chairman and Member of the Nigerian Volleyball Federation. In 1997, he was Executive Vice-President of the African Volleyball Confederation, where he was Treasurer from 1997 to 2001 and then President from 2001 to 2010 then later in 2014.

From 1997 to 2001, he was part of the Nigeria Olympic Committee. In 1998, Gumel was member and secretary of the Finance Commission of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB). In 2008, he was Executive Vice-President, and in 2009 he was the FIVB Technical Delegate for the London 2012 Olympic Games. In 2010, he was a member of the Steering Committee of the FIVB Development Fund. From 2000 to 2009, he was Director of Sports Facilities for the defunct National Sports Commission (NSC) in Abuja. From 2002 to 2009, he was a Presidential Committee Member of the All-African Games. 

From 2005 to 2007, Gumel was a Member and Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Abuja Bid Committee for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He was President of Zone 3 for the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) from 2005 to 2009, where in 2005 he was an Executive Board Member, and in 2009 he was Treasurer General.

In the International Olympic Committee (IOC) he was a member of the Sports and Environment Committee from 2010 to 2015, the TV Rights and New Media Committee from 2014 to 2015. From 2015 to 2020, he was part of the Coordination for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo 2020. In 2016 and 2017, he was part of the Evaluation of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in 2024. In 2015, Gumel was a Delegate Member for Broadcast rights Africa except MENA. MENA, an acronym in the English language, refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa.

Gumel as NOC president has benefitted Nigeria in no small measure and has equally brought a lot of landmark and infrastructural achievements to Nigeria. Here as some of the achievements by those who don't know and will not ask. 

1) NOC Secretariat Building in Lagos

 Renovation of all structures, interior and exterior with landscaping thereby making it befitting of an international organization.

2) Equipping the various offices with up-to-date information technology, replacement of all air-conditioning units and various other fixtures and fittings

3) Developing the Olympafrica Centre in Amuwo Odofin which is now ready for commissioning with the multi-purpose plateau for various sports as well as the indoor sport hall.

4) NOC Land in Abuja

 Under Gumel, the NOC has secured the partnership of both the International Olympic Committee and ANOCA for the building of the NOC Secretariat in Abuja.

5) ANOCA Secretariat Building  

The NOC under Gumel was in charge of the process that led to the delivery of the ANOCA Secretariat building in Abuja by the engaging with the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.

6) Visit of IOC President to Nigeria

 Delivering the milestone of the visit of the IOC President to Nigeria to commission the ANOCA Secretariat. During the visit the IOC President promised to donate a spectator arena to NOC Partner School – Aduvie International School, which has been completed, commissioned and delivered to the School.

7) Providing Olympic Scholarship worth US$414,240 to 19 Nigerian athletes which led to the qualification of all of them for Tokyo Olympic Games while two of the athletes won the Silver and Bronze medals for Nigeria. In addition, a Team Support Grant of US$75,000 to Basketball and Hockey which contributed to the qualification of both male and female Basketball teams for Tokyo Olympic Games. The list includes Tobi Amusan, the Golden girl who manifested her prowess at the International World Athletics Championship in the U.S. Ese Brume , Haruna Quadri among others. 

8) Local and international training for Nigerian Coaches, Sports Medicine professionals, military and para-military officials, sports journalist as well as providing Olympic education curriculum for various Nigerian Universities, secondary and primary schools.

9) Bobsleigh & Skeleton Event.

There was the appearance at the Winter Olympics, the first for Africa and Nigeria took part.

For his achievements and the honour he has brought to the country, Gumel in 2001, was awarded the National honour of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) and in 2022, he was also conferred the award of the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese Government. The Japanese ambassador to Nigeria, Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, presented the award to Engr Gumel on behalf of the Emperor Naruhito. Kazuyoshi said the award is in recognition of Gumel’s contributions to promoting friendship between Japan and Nigeria through sports.