Opinion

Sports Minister’s Blunders: Time for a Change

Published

2 years ago

August 20, 2024

By Sylvanus Ofekun

The 2024 Paris Olympics have come and gone, leaving a trail of disappointment and disillusionment in their wake. Nigeria’s performance was nothing short of disastrous, with the country failing to win a single medal despite participating in 12 sports with 88 athletes. The approved budget of 9 billion Naira, courtesy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, seems to have been squandered under the watch of Senator John Owan Enoh, Nigeria’s Minister of Sports Development.

Enoh’s response to the debacle has been a masterclass in deflection and blame-shifting. Instead of taking responsibility for his ministry’s failures, he has chosen to blame everyone else – the Sports Federations, the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), and even the “toxic environment” in Nigerian sports. His recent quote, “The stage after the Olympics has been very toxic… Nigeria has failed in the Olympics before with nothing happening, but I have been subjected to all forms of harassment,” showcases his lack of accountability and penchant for playing the victim.

Enoh’s defense has been weak, blaming both the living and the dead, except himself, for Team Nigeria’s poor outing. He has referenced past performances, citing the fact that Nigeria did not win a medal in London 2012, but won a bronze in football in 2016, and silver and bronze in wrestling and long jump in Tokyo 2020, all these were done by luck.

However, this is not a time for excuses or justifications. The fact remains that Enoh promised a better performance than the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and he failed to deliver.

His numerous television appearances have only served to highlight his lack of concrete plans and solutions, replaced by outbursts of venom towards his subordinates. It is clear that Enoh is out of his depth, and his incompetence and greed-driven blunders have exposed him as a novice in sports administration.

The time has come for President Tinubu to take decisive action. Enoh must be replaced with a competent and experienced individual who can restore Nigeria’s sports glory. Furthermore, the sports ministry has proven to be a failed experiment. It is time to scrap it and replace it with the National Sports Commission, which will operate under the presidency. This commission will be run by experts with a clear legislative framework, ensuring accountability and efficiency.

Nigeria deserves better. Its athletes deserve better. They deserve a sports administration that is competent, accountable, and transparent. They deserve a system that will nurture and support them, rather than hinder their progress. It is time for a change.

The sports-loving public is watching, and they will not forget the failures of the current administration. President Tinubu must act now to restore Nigeria’s sports glory, and ensure that the country’s athletes are given the support and resources they need to succeed. Anything less is unacceptable.

sleekysly5@gmail.com

Share on Facebook

Opinion

Homeland Security or Homeland Patronage?

Published

1 day ago

May 14, 2026

The Gleamer

…Nigeria Cannot Keep Inventing Offices to Avoid Real Reform

By Comrade Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi

Nigeria awoke recently to the announcement of a new political creation: the Special Adviser on Homeland Security. Predictably, the cheerleaders of the administration—the “City Boys”, the “Renewed Hope” chorus, and the usual orbit of political loyalists—erupted in celebration. To hear them tell it, this single appointment is the longawaited masterstroke that will end kidnapping, banditry, insurgency, and terrorism.

If only governance were that easy.
Nigeria’s insecurity crisis is not a problem of insufficient titles. It is a problem of insufficient political will. And no number of new offices, however grandly named, can substitute for leadership that is ready to confront the roots of our national decay.

The Real Question: What Is Wrong With What We Already Have?

Before we applaud another bureaucratic invention, we must ask:
Why are the existing security structures failing? Is it a lack of capacity? A lack of coordination? Or a lack of sincerity at the highest levels?

Creating a new “Homeland Security” office without fixing the rot in the current system is like building a new roof on a house with collapsing foundations. It may look impressive, but it solves nothing.

Nigeria’s Endless Cycle of Cosmetic Reforms

We have seen this pattern before. From the era of military rule to the present civilian administrations, Nigerians have been told that privatization, concessioning, and PPPs were the magic keys to prosperity. Instead, national assets were sold to political insiders at giveaway prices, often financed with public funds. The result?

*Electricity worse than it was in the 1970s

*Roads that endanger rather than connect

*Schools and hospitals in states of abandonment

More recently, fuel subsidy removal, naira depreciation, aggressive borrowing, and new tax regimes have produced predictable outcomes: rising poverty, millions of outofschool children, and a healthcare system out of reach for ordinary citizens.

These are not reforms. They are rituals—performed for applause, not for impact.

Copying Foreign Models Without Local Understanding

Some argue that the United States and United Kingdom have Departments of Homeland Security, so Nigeria must follow suit. But this comparison is shallow. Nigeria already has a functional equivalent: the Ministry of Interior.
What we lack is not structure.
What we lack is competence, independence, and accountability.

Recruiting the right people—and allowing them to work without political interference—would do far more for national security than multiplying offices to reward political allies.

When Governance Becomes Patronage

A nation begins to fail when public institutions forget their purpose. Today, many Ministries, Departments, and Agencies have been reduced to distribution centres for rice, wrappers, and handouts. When institutions become charity kiosks, the system collapses—and no new adviser or special assistant can rescue it.

Nigeria Deserves More Than Symbolism

Nigeria cannot continue inflating the cost of governance while deflating the dignity of governance. We cannot keep inventing new offices to mask old failures. What the country needs is not another adviser. It needs courage. It needs sincerity. It needs leadership that values results over rituals.

Until then, every new appointment—no matter how elegantly packaged—will remain what it truly is: Another food for the boys.

Share on Facebook