Ekeji Advises Incoming Sports Minister To Work With Experts

Ezeji Advises Incoming Sports Minister To Work With Experts

By Admin

Former Director General Of the National Sports Commission (NSC) Chief Patrick Ekeji, has advised incoming Sports Minister to surround himself with experts in sports administration, saying this was the only way he or she would make a headway in the sector.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday transmitted 43 ministerial nominees to the Senate for screening without assigning portfolios.
Though, none of the 43 nominees has sports background, Ekeji, a former Super Eagles defender and coach, advised that whoever the president assigns to sports, must ensure that he surrounds himself with experts in the sector.

Ekeji, who gave the advice, said that surrounding himself with knowledgeable people in sports would make the job easier for him or her.
“The problem is that those not knowledgeable of the sector are usually asked to head it. And the minister will now surround himself with cronies who know next to nothing about the institution they are to administer.
“Unlike in advanced societies where even somebody who is not an expert is appointed, he will surround himself with experts. But this is not what we have in sports here,” he said, saying, “We need to have somebody who will look for experts.”

He added that “Let hope that whoever is assigned to sports will pursue the institutionalisation of the National Sports Commission (NSC) by law. The last Sports Minister could have done it but I don’t know who advised him against that.
“The Nigeria Football Federation is a parastatal under the NSC, the National Institute for Sports is another parastatal under the NSC. The National Youth Service Corps is a parastatal under the Youth and Sports, but the NSC that is supposed to oversee all sports parastatals is not established by law. So sport is neither here nor there. I support the establishment of the NSC.”

Credit: Daily Independent