By Lateef Adekola
Ahead of the elective congress of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC slated for December 15, 2022, in Jalingo, Taraba State, some concerned stakeholders have began clamouring for a transformational change in the leadership of the NOC.
Many of the stakeholders are concerned about the comatose state of the NOC and strongly want a positive and proactive leadership for the body, while the incumbent President Engr. Habu Gumel has not officially declared his intentions to seek reelection for a fifth tenure.
Gumel was first elected as NOC president in 2002 and led until 2012. He made a return as president in 2014 and still runs the affairs of the NOC, till date.
The stakeholders are miffed that Gumel has no voting powers in the International Olympic Committee, as he is 74 years old, way beyond the required age. Presently, he is a honourary member of the IOC, contrary to the needs of the NOC and Nigerian sports.
According to the stakeholders, many who craved anonymity, in the past 8 years of his presidency, Nigeria has remained a docile member of the IOC. One of the major concerns of the stakeholders, is that Gumel might make a last ditch and desperate attempts to retain his position or throw his support behind any of his co-travellers.
Popular sports activist and national coordinator of Friends of Nigeria Sports, Chief Dipreiye Thompson, was quick to note that, “Gumel’s leadership of the NOC, has brought nothing but retrogression and problems to sports federations in Nigeria”.
“For now, we’re not sure of the situation because nobody has come out to declare for the seat, yet. However, for the betterment of Nigerian sports and active sports federations, Gumel should just leave the NOC and Nigerian sports alone.”
Thompson, the leader of the Friends of Nigeria Sports, a group of sports journalists,stakeholders and sports enthusiasts, added conclusively, “A fifth tenure as president of NOC, would be suicidal for Nigerian sports. We pray that wisdom will direct Gumel and his co-travellers to the truth that they should not return to the leadership of the NOC.”
