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Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung on Tuesday decried the use and dump tendencies in the Nigerian sports industry stating in Nigeria you are only useful when you are needed.
Making reference to the issues surrounding the purpose ousting of Super Eagles Coach, Samson Siasia while he was in Rio for the Olympics, the minister said it was unacceptable and would be sad if the coach finally left the country to head a foreign team out of frustration.
Emerging from a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Dalung told journalists that he was not officially aware of the new coach who had been engaged by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) until he has been fully engaged and unveiled.
Early this month the NFF had named a German, Gernot Rohr, to manage the Super Eagles despite the minister’s preference for a local coach.
“Samson Siasia is an asset to Nigeria but unfortunately, we are a country that good people are like wheelbarrow they are only useful when they are needed.
“I invited the secretary of NFF because there was this issue I read that I directed that his car was withdrawn while he was away, he confirmed it. I sought to know why this will come up while the man was on a national assignment and told them that this was unacceptable” he said.
He expressed displeasure at the way Siasia was treated by the NFF, which withdrew his official car in Abuja while he was battling to secure a medal for the country in Rio.
Dalung, who said he met with Siasia just the day before, said Nigeria still needed him in football development, pointing out that even if the NFF would not re-engage him, they should at least, give him some peace of mind to enable him still contribute to football in the country.
“For the NFF they need to get their house in order this idea of throwing your best and branding them with all sorts of allegations will not help to grow the sports industry. every human being has his own shortcomings but he also has his good, we must try to accommodate each other. It is sad if Siasia today leaves Nigeria for an appointment outside it will not be favourable to Nigeria.
In Rio, so many athletes were flying the ticket of other countries and representing different countries, when do we start to patronise our own? I think we should keep him. I advised him to concentrate as these things were mere distractions” he said.
On the choice of a foreign coach Dalung however added that “we have a German-born coach but not official to me anyway, because I am reading it online, they will also present him officially if they have concluded all the arrangement of engaging him, but I will continue to maintain that we need to develop our own , there is no better way of making progress than to develop our own and for the foreign”.
The minister also cleared the air on the $390, 000 donation to Siasia and his team by a Japanese surgeon, stating he was convinced after meeting the donor there were no strings attached to the donation.
He attributed Nigeria’s abysmal outing at the Olympics to the late release of funds and inability to develop home-grown talents.
Elizabeth Archibong
