There was palpable joy among many sports loving Nigerians over the dropping of former Minister of Youths and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung as he did not make the list of 43 ministerial nominees sent by President Muhammed Buhari to the Senate on Tuesday for screening and confirmation.
President of the Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan read the new names of nominees at Tuesday’s plenary session with Dalung’s name missing.
The controversial 54-year-old was engaged in bitter row with leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation for the better part of his tenure as minister of youth and sports. There was the avoidable crisis in the basketball, athletics and many federations, as well as the ‘missing IAAF $130,000’, among many other lows, which did not help the rating of the beret wearing former minster from Plateau state.
Several athletes who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity described his “dropping as good omens” for the sports community.
Many of the top football shot on Tuesday praised President Buhari for ridding the sports sector of the “virus” that has almost crippled the football in the nation.
A board member told our correspondent on phone that “this is the best that can happen to sports who is already in a comatose stage”
He was rumoured to be among the list of ministerial nominees and favoured to return to the post especially after he was named in the 11-man federal government delegation to offer support to the Super Eagles at the recently concluded 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
The sports fraternity in Nigeria will now await the appointment of a new minister with lawyer, Festus Keyamo, a staunch football lover the only notable name who is well associated with sports on the list of the nominees.
