By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem
Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung has accused critics of his handling of Nigerian sports of displaying ignorance by blaming him for the country’s unimpressive outing at the just concluded Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
Dalung who spoke to State House correspondents on Tuesday after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on the outcome of the Games, said the complicated nature of running sports in the country predated his tenure.
He attributed the poor outing of the Nigerian Olympic contingent to late release of funds and inability to develop home-grown talents over the years.
The minister noted that many athletes in the continent that performed relatively better were home-grown.
He also told reporters that there was need to go back to the drawing board by reviewing the basic architecture of sports in the country.
“We need to go back to grassroots and groom talents for future competitions,”he said.
“I am not the problem of Nigerian sports because abysmal performance predates my appointment,”he said.
According to the minister, the President appreciated the efforts of Team Nigeria at the Games.
He continued: “So all I did was to brief the President on our performance, the challenges we had, the progress we made because in 2016 Nigeria was celebrated.
“These two (Nigerian) athletes (Aruna Quadri and Ukogu) were recognized internationally in Rio; that happening to Nigeria is an achievement.
“And I also requested from him the support for getting a date to organize a reception for our dream team that has gotten a bronze medal for us.
“He (President Buhari) also appreciated our performance and thanked us for doing the country proud and keeping the flag flying. He challenged us to do more for the country to move forward in sports,”he said.
Dalung feigned ignorance of the appointment of a new foreign coach for the Super Eagles by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).
Dalung had maintained a preference for a local coach, but the NFF had recently announced a German coach, Gernot Rohr, to manage the Super Eagles.
He said he wished the new coach the best of luck even though NFF had not informed him of Rohr’s appointment.
He debunked speculations making the rounds that Coach Samson Siasia who handled the football team at the Olympics had resigned, saying the true situation was that his contract with the NFF had expired.
The Minister also faulted the treatment meted to Siasia by NFF which withdrew his official car in Abuja while he was fighting to secure a medal for the country in Rio.
He insisted Siasia was still relevant to football development in Nigeria, noting that he could be re-appointed in future.
Dalung also exonerated Siasia and his team over the $390, 000 donation by a Japanese surgeon.
After meeting the donor in Rio, the Minister said that he was convinced there were no strings attached to the donation.
