Sports entrepreneur and chairman of Gombe Athletics Association, Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government not to drop a dime for the National Sports Commission (NSC), saying the commission is capable of raising funds to drive e-sport economy in the country.
He gave the advice in a statement released during the weekend through his social media handle, insisting that those that claimed to have the capacity to woo sponsors should not be given a whooping sum of N78 billion to run sports.
According to Gombe, sports economy everywhere in the world is not run through public funds, but private driven.
Gombe’s statement reads: “Presently, I have read reports disappointedly, in some media, especially Social media and some print media, even in some Television stations scrolled messages celebrating N78 billion federal government appropriated for the National Sports Commission.
“Unfortunately, the same people mandated to manage our sports are not ready to change their old past ways.
I remember, the same way they are celebrating the N78 billion was the same way they jubilated when Super Sports signed a contract with League Management Company (LMC) for a sponsorship totalling about N3 billion.
At the end of the day, the money was mismanaged and squandered, Super Sports pulled out.
“They are now celebrating N78 billion we have not seen. I am sure, when the funds are finally released, they will feast on it.
“I want to inform Nigerians and the world in general, tax payers including the National Assembly and federal government not to release the money, though, budget is a document of intent, but whatever it is, government should not release the money to the National Sports Commission (NSC).
They are not ready, that place need to be sanitised first before such money should be released. I want them to prove me wrong.
“Do we need to put N78 billion in Nigeria Sports, for what?
This same people talking about e-sports economy are already parading their Curriculum vitaes (CV) that they have the capacity and ability to raise funds for the growth of Sports in Nigeria. Sports Economy and Renewed Hope Agenda slogan they are shouting about is just deception, nothing is going to happen.
“Nowhere in the world government spends such money, the NSC hierarchy should use their contacts, after all, they told us they have contacts, they should use it to raise money for sports economy.
Sports economy is not run through public funds.”
The former secretary of the defunct Nigeria Football Stakeholders Forum (NFSF) however canvassed for the re-establishment of Team Nigeria concept with appointment of trustees.
“Effort should be made to re-establish Team Nigeria concept, appoint trustees and give them such money to manage, strictly for raising funds and managing same.
“In a transitional manner government should withdraw from giving funds to sports.
“Its sad that former Minister Sunday Dare claimed to have sourced and spent One Million Dollars from Aliko Dangote in renovating the Abuja Stadium.
Unfortunately, today, from Badagry to Maiduguri, Nigeria don’t have a standard Stadium that can host CAF and FIFA football games.
“Do we also have to recall given someone N24 billion for Olympics and AFCON and the fellow mismanaged the money, we didn’t ask him to account for the money. Who do us this?
Sports sponsorship is a corporate world business, government only provides the enabling infrastructure. No government in this world pours N78 billion into sports to be managed by those that called themselves experts in sports marketing and promotion. No sponsor will see people with N78 billion to spend and agrees to come close,” Gombe said.
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