Gombe State Athletics Association Chairman Hon. Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe recently spoke out about the challenges facing Nigerian sports.
He emphasized that corruption, not name changes or official recycling, is the primary obstacle to sports development in Nigeria ¹.
Gara-Gombe criticized the National Sports Commission (NSC) act, calling it “the worst ever seen” due to its fraudulent content and design to benefit friends and relatives ¹.
He questioned the legality of the act, which was signed by President Buhari on May 25, 2023, and argued that its implementation was shrouded in secrecy ¹.
Gara-Gombe also addressed the Ese Brume training grant saga, stating that the grant was not planned and was only given after Brume suffered an accident.
He emphasized that the grant was her right and questioned whether other athletes have received similar support ¹.
Furthermore, Gara-Gombe highlighted the importance of corporate involvement in sports development, citing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s release of N24 billion for sports in one year.
However, he noted that the lack of accountability and transparency has led to a trust deficit, with corporate bodies pulling out of Nigerian sports ¹.
Gara-Gombe also clarified that the Adopt a Talent project was originally created by late journalist Jide Fashikun during Solomon Dalung’s tenure as Sports Minister, not by Sunday Dare ¹.
For 25 years, Gara-Gombe has been a vocal critic of bad governance, incompetence, and corruption in Nigerian sports, and he vows to continue exposing these issues.
