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For the National
Sports Commission (NSC) to work as effectively as possible, there is
the need to overhaul it completely, says Dan Ngerem, former president
of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.

Ngerem, speaking
about the state of sports in the last decade, said the chairman of the
commission should not be a political appointee.

“The NSC structure
itself is faulty. It should have a board and a chairman who hold office
for a fixed term unlike the situation we have now that the ministers
just come and go at any time”.

He also called on
the National Assembly to quickly pass the NSC Act so as to make the NSC
a legal entity appropriating money for a body that is not known to law
is unacceptable. The NSC must be backed by law”.

Public-private partnership

The former AFN president said there is need to make sports administration a partnership between the public and private sector.

“Government should
allow sports to thrive on its own. It is misleading and mischievous for
people to think that sports will die in Nigeria without government
funding. A few years ago we had a public -private partnership
arrangement, that’s talking about the Team Nigeria.

They killed that
programme and did not put any replacement in its place. We must go back
to it. The private sector is willing to inject money into sports but is
being held back by the lack of accountability and transparency of our
sports administrators,” Ngerem said.

On Nigeria’s declining fortunes in sports, Ngerem said one of the ways of arresting the slide is by returning to the grassroots.

“We must go back to school sports where values of discipline and
commitment would be inculcated in our children at an early age. This
will help them grow up to become thoroughbred professionals who will do
what is required to put Nigeria at the forefront of the global sporting
community,” he said.

Harrison Jalla,
President of the National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF)
has described the annulment of Davidson Owumi’s election as Chairman of
the Nigeria Premier League as illegal. The Nigeria Football Federation
had annulled the election yesterday.

But according to Jalla, only the congress of the NPL that approved Owumi’s election could annul the election and not the NFF.

“The NFF never
elected Owumi nor were they part of the process that brought him in so
it is wrong for them to just come around and say that they are
annulling an election they were not a party to,” he said.

“It is a big joke;
a sad development and unacceptable. The NFF does not have the power to
do that; the NPL is an entity, it has its own congress and board and if
those organs feel dissatisfied with the election they can go ahead to
remove Owumi and not the NFF executive committee.”

Jalla had been locked in a battle with the current board of the NFF over their legality but later settled out of court.

He concluded that the players’ union will continue to recognise Owumi as league boss.

The annulment

The NFF had on
Wednesday asked Owumi to vacate his seat as the NPL boss and deputy,
Shehu Gusau to run the affairs of the league pending the 14 days in
which fresh polls would be conducted.

The NFF ruled that it would uphold the Ibidapo Obe committee report, which had faulted Owumi’s emergence as the NPL boss.

On his own part,
the major rival of Owumi, Rumson Baribote has stated that he would only
accept the result of the soon to be conducted polls only if “due
process” is followed.

According to the
former Chairman of Bayelsa United, the deposed chairman should not be
allowed to contest the election again because he was never eligible to
contest.

Owumi beat Baribote to the position in an election conducted on May
20 but the former boss of Bayelsa United challenged the results of the
polls, claiming that Owumi was ineligible to contest. The NPL election
Appeals Committee upheld the results of the polls, but Ayo Ibidapo-Ope,
an independent arbitrator appointed by the NFF ruled in favour of
annulling the elections.

The eight- month
reign of Davidson Owumi as the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) Chairman
was been brought to an end yesterday after the Nigeria Football
Federation annulled his election as the league boss.

The decision, which
was ratified by the executive committee of the NFF at the annual
general meeting held in Uyo yesterday, also ordered for fresh elections
within the next 14 days.

A statement issued
after the meeting by Ademola Olajire, the federation’s media officer
said the federation decided to uphold the Ibidapo Obe committee report,
which had earlier questioned Owumi’s election and called for fresh
polls.

“The Committee
considered and upheld the 21st June, 2010 award of the… Ibidapo Obe
Arbitration Tribunal set up by the Nigeria Football Federation on the
Nigeria Premier League leadership tussle. The NFF Executive Committee
has therefore ordered for fresh elections to be conducted into offices
of Chairman of NPL and Chairman of Chairmen of NPL, within 14 days and
in full compliance with the NPL Statutes.

The remaining NPL
Board members should continue to run the affairs of the NPL without let
or hindrance in the on-going 2010/2011 Premier League Season,” the
statement read.

The Executive
Committee also appealed for calm and the co-operation of all football
stakeholders in the country in order for problem in the NPL to be
solved.

In the meantime,
the Vice Chairman of the NPL, Shehu Gusau, has been directed to act as
chairman before the fresh elections are conducted.

Before yesterday’
decision, the NFF had tried in futility to settle the case amicably
between Owumi and his major opponent, Rumson Baribote.

Baribote, who was
the former Chairman of relegated side, Bayelsa United had consistently
argued that Owumi was not even qualified to run for the position of
Chairman.

“I am not
witch-hunting anybody all I have demanded for is justice,” Baribote had
said twenty-four hours before the decision to sack Owumi was taken by
the NFF.

Attempts to reach Owumi, who is reportedly in Enugu were unsuccessful as his mobile phone was switched off.

Aside the
leadership tussle, the eight-week old league which is currently on
recess, has been the source of controversy as former sponsors, Globacom
have take the NPL to court over its decision to award sponsorship
rights to rival telecommunications company, MTN.

Hearing in the suit has been fixed for Friday at a Federal High Court in Lagos.

Nigeria’s junior
tennis team – the 14 and under and the 16 and under – will be leaving
for Ghana in the second week of the new year to begin another quest to
try and wrest the West and Central African Championship title from
Ghana, who claimed the team trophy last time out in Accra.

Coach of the team, Mohammed Ubale, said 12 players for all the categories have been invited to camp for the event.

“The camping of the
players will start next week and Kaduna has been chosen as camp site
because we will be competing on clay courts in Ghana and in Egypt,
where the African championship will take place.

Ghana won the team
trophy at the 2010 ITF/CAT West and Central African Junior
Championships, courtesy of victories by Elisabeth Kapari and Francis
Akpese over Nigerians in the girls’ and boys’ 14 categories. Kapari
beat Sarah Adegoke 6-3, 6-0 while Akpese defeated Emmanuel Idoko 6-0,
6-0.

Nigeria thus came
second with Umoru Balami, winning silver in the boys’ 16 and under
category. Balami had been defeated by Tunde Segodo of Benin in the
final.

Better prepared

For the 2011 edition, Ubale believes Balami is better prepared and equipped.

“He has been at the
ITF Tennis Academy in Pretoria for the past seven months and because of
his excellent performances during that period, he has been granted a
full one-year scholarship. His game has improved so much that I believe
he will win the event in Ghana.”

Emmanuel Idoko also
performed creditably in last year’s boys’ 14 and under category and
Ubale is also hopeful for a better outing for the youngster.

“We will be better
prepared for this one and the issue of first time travellers which was
the case for our team last year is no more the case. The players are
now better equipped to deal with the pressure of playing away from
home.” He also added that only eight players will make the trip to
Ghana.

“We will trim the team as we get over our one-week camping. There will be two representatives per category for the tournament.”

Nine countries are
expected to participate in the week-long competition, scheduled to take
place at the Winneba Sports College, Ghana.

Players called to camp

Boys 14 and under Girls 14 and under: Sylvester Emmanuel, Sarah Adegoke, Joseph Imeh, and Zainab Oladimeji.

Boys 16 and under Girls 16 and under: Umoru Balami, Ann Okoro,
Emmanuel Idoko, Miracle Sunday, Mohammed Mohammed, and Ramota Adeyemi.

New Inter Milan
coach Leonardo, the former AC Milan boss who joined the European
champions last week after Rafael Benitez’s dismissal, said the job was
“a dream” after being welcomed like a rock star yesterday.

“I’m a romantic,” Leonardo told his first news conference at Inter’s training ground having arrived to wild applause.

“I wasn’t looking for work, I was looking for a dream and this is the biggest challenge there is.”

The Brazilian left
Milan in May after his only season in management following a series of
disagreements with owner Silvio Berlusconi.

He has returned to
Serie A with Milan’s biggest rivals having replaced Benitez but said
his acceptance of the role was not the start of a vendetta against the
Rossoneri.

“I thank Milan for 13 years together and I will never forget them but now I start a new adventure. I am a free man.”

Surprise switch

The 41-year-old
World Cup winner was a player for Milan before becoming a scout,
technical director and coach, making his switch to their bitter rivals
all the more surprising.

However, the clubs
have often swapped personnel over the years and league leaders Milan
have stayed largely quiet on the issue given their hopes of silverware
this term rely on former Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Inter are bidding
for a sixth straight Serie A title but lie seventh at the mid-season
break following an injury crisis and loss of confidence under Benitez.

“I still believe in
the scudetto. I know 13 points is a lot but the championship still has
a long way to run,” added Leonardo, whose first game in charge is the
January 6 clash with Napoli at the familiar San Siro.

Inter president
Massimo Moratti is prepared for flak from Inter fans if his appointment
of a former Milan coach, who only guided the Rossoneri to third last
term, backfires.

“I am very happy about this appointment, I have always rated him,” Moratti said of a man who speaks five languages.

“Now let him work
without pressure but with all the ambition that we must have as
champions of the world. He bears a heavy weight on his shoulders, as I
do, for the decision the club have taken.”

Former Super Eagles
goalkeeper, Ike Shorunmu and Kano Pillars Coach, Salisu Yusuf, have
been appointed as assistants to Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia.

While Shorunmu will
be a goalkeepers’ trainer with the team, Yusuf will be the second
assistant to Siasia who already has Dutchman, Simon Kalika, on his crew.

The appointment of
the duo was ratified at the annual general meeting of the NFF in Uyo
yesterday and thus put paid to speculations about those who were likely
to get the job.

While Shorunmu has
already had spells with the Eagles, working with former coaches Berti
Vogts, and Austin Eguavoen this will be Yusuf’s first experience at the
senior national team level.

Both men are however nostrangers to Siasia having worked with him in the past.

Yusuf was part of
Siasia’s technical crew at the 2009 FIFA World Youth Championship, in
Egypt, while Shorunmu worked briefly with his new boss while he was
head coach of Nigeria Premier League side, Heartland.

Both men are
expected to resume with Siasia whose is currently on holiday with his
family in the United States on January 3 to start preparations for a
busy 2011.

First test

The first
assignment for the new Eagles technical crew is the United States
President’s Day Celebration Soccer Invitational Tournament, the Green
Soccer Bowl. The tournament takes place between February 12-20, 2011
and will feature eight teams.

Already, players
from the local league who have been clamouring for a chance to exhibit
their skills in the senior national team have been handed an
opportunity by Siasia who has called 30 of them in preparation for
tournament.

The competition, in
honour of United States President Barack Obama, will take place at the
Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, venue of Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World
Cup finals match, which ended in a 3-0 defeat of Bulgaria in June 1994.

Already, the draw for the tournament has been made with the Super Eagles having to contend with Iraq,

Poland and Malaysia in Group A, while Egypt, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kenya and Bahrain will play in Group B.

Other decisions

The NFF also
approved through its General Assembly the sum of N6.8 billion as budget
for the activities and programmes of the for the Year 2011.

In addition, the Assembly approved the audited account of the Federation for the Year 2009.

The Congress resolved that elections into the State FAs be conducted
on or before 10th January, 2011 and that the NFF will send officials to
monitor and supervise the polls.

For sustainable
development in sports, there is the need to advance the course of the
athlete at the grassroots citing that the grassroots serves as the
foundation for development.

This was the view
of Babatunde Fashola, the Lagos State Governor while addressing
spectators and athletes at the 16th edition of the monthly boxing show
organised by the Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame.

Fashola said the
reason he supports grassroots sports is because it was the place where
athletes could learn the discipline to prepare themselves for
competitions, noting that only through adequate preparation could
success be achieved.

“This is the only
way I know by which we can achieve success, when athletes are prepared.
The way of preparation, the way of planning, and the way of hard work
is the way to go,” he said.

“I assure you that
the victory will be shallow if we do not make any effort at what we do.
When we prepare and plan, we will be proud of our victories when they
come”.

The governor also urged athletes not to be in too much of a hurry to succeed.

“I tell you, when
you begin to make some impact in chosen field of endeavour, it will be
the national coaches that will come looking for you”.

Athletes’ welfare paramount

The Lagos State Governor has revealed that efforts are presently underway to see to the welfare of the Lagos state athletes.

“I want our teams
to stand out as the best any time they go out and we are doing very
thing within our capacity to see that it happens. We want some of the
best athletes in Nigeria to be from Lagos state.

To make that a
reality the governor said he has personally begun to work closely with
those involved in sports development in Lagos.

“Let me say that I am personally involved in the preparation of our
athletes to the next Sports Festival. My office is in direct
communication & liaison with the Ministry of sport. Just last week,
I had a meeting with the commissioner for sports; chairman, State Sport
Commission and Special Assistant on Grassroots Sports about the
welfare, equipment, camping and allowances of the athletes to the next
Festival. As soon I get their reports we will be able to improve on our
strategies, so as to consolidate our gains in sports,” he said.

England stormed to
an imperious innings and 157-run victory in the fourth test to retain
the Ashes on Wednesday and plunge a declining Australia side into a
painful period of introspection.

The victory,
completed before lunch on the fourth day, gave holders England an
unassailable 2-1 lead in the five-test series and made Andrew Strauss’s
team the first to take the Ashes home since the Mike Gatting-led
triumph of 1986/87.

Then, as now, the
venue of the decisive victory was the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a
hulking coliseum where England had enjoyed precious few victories in
preceding years.

On Wednesday,
however, it resembled a Lord’s or a Headingley, with thousands of
English supporters clad in white and red chanting joyously in the
stands as the tourists completed a stunning rout of their former
tormentors.

The England players
embraced and pumped their fists in the air upon the dismissal of the
hapless Ben Hilfenhaus, caught behind for a duck off Tim Bresnan’s
bowling, as Australia were all out for 258.

“I think winning
the Ashes has always been a bit of a holy grail for English sides,”
said Strauss, whose ‘no complacency’ mantra has been taken fully to
heart by his business-like side.

“We haven’t won the Ashes yet but we’ve obviously retained the urn which has certainly been one of our primary goals.

“The guys deserve
everything they get, the players have stood up and performed when it
matters, the back-room staff have prepared us well and we sit here now
feeling like a lot of hard work has paid dividends for us.” Ricky
Ponting was gracious in defeat, but it was all pain and regret for the
Australian skipper, who also lost on tour in 2005 and last year, as his
woeful form at the crease mirrored the side’s greater batting struggles.

“Hopefully I’m not
just remembered as that guy, the guy who lost those three Ashes
series… I guess this result here is not one of my proudest.”

Quick finish

Speculation has
been rife that the 36-year-old might relinquish the captaincy in
disappointment, but Ponting said he would continue to fight for
Australia’s leadership, even as the side faces years of rebuilding to
regain their former standing.

“It’s out of my
control,” the under-fire skipper said of his tenure at the helm, as
selectors prepare to choose the side for the fifth test in Sydney.

Australia had
resumed on 169 for six, still facing a 246-run deficit to make England
bat again but lost their remaining wickets shortly before lunch with a
day and a half left to play.

Chris Tremlett
shattered Mitchell Johnson’s stumps for six, while Peter Siddle
defiantly slogged his way to 40 before belting a lofted drive off
Graeme Swann straight to Kevin Pietersen at long on.

The injured Ryan
Harris did not take his place in the side, while wicketkeeper Brad
Haddin, who had refused to gift his wickets cheaply like so many of his
playing partners at the top of the order, was left stranded on 55 not
out.

Bresnan, called
into the side for Steve Finn, was the pick of England’s bowlers in the
second innings, finishing with 4-50 after ripping through Australia’s
top order after tea on day three to quash the hosts’ slim hopes of
salvaging a draw.

He and Tremlett,
who replaced the injured Stuart Broad for the Perth test, made vital
contributions in an England side whose collective efforts trumped an
Australian team too often forced to rely on brilliant cameos.

The win was also a
stunning turnaround from the third test in Perth, where England slumped
to a 267-run defeat that levelled the series 1-1.

BRESNAN’S BURST
Australia’s resurgence on the fast WACA wicket proved little more than
a mirage when their batsmen, brittle throughout the series, were
skittled for a first innings total of 98, a record low against the
tourists at the MCG.

England pressed the
advantage by romping to 157-0 on the first day and anchored by a
sublime unbeaten 168 by Jonathan Trott, who was named man of the match,
posted a first innings total of 513 on day three.

Trott also scored a
century in the first Brisbane test in a record stand with Alastair
Cook. His performance in Melbourne echoed his brilliant 119 on debut at
the fifth test at the Oval that helped England seal the home series
last year.

Trott gave the
hosts a 415-run deficit at the MCG to make England bat again and any
hope of a fightback was quashed after tea on Tuesday when Australia’s
top order were blown away by Bresnan.

They limped to stumps still 246 runs in arrears and the victory early on day four for England was all but a formality.

While their side’s
misfiring top order remains their greatest concern, Australia’s
miseries were further compounded with the news that paceman Ryan Harris
would be sidelined for three-four months after scans revealed a stress
fracture in his left ankle.

“We owe it to
ourselves, we owe it to our fans around Australia to bounce back
quickly and show a bit of pride in what we do for our country,” Ponting
said of the final test in Sydney next week.

“Although we can’t
win the Ashes, there’s a good chance for us to level the series.”
Strauss said his players would enjoy the evening but the Ashes were
only one step on a long journey to their goal of topping the world
rankings.

“English cricket is
not just about winning the Ashes,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of small
steps on the way for us, including India next summer.

“I get the feeling we can still improve a lot as a side and that’s quite motivating.”

Chelsea ended their dire run with a 1-0 home Premier League win over Bolton Wanderers but Arsenal, seeking to go joint-top with a win, conceded a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw at 10-man Wigan Athletic on Wednesday.

It was a miserable night for Liverpool as they were booed off after being outplayed and outfought by Wolverhampton Wanderers, who moved up from the bottom of the standings after securing their first away win of the season with a goal by Stephen Ward.

Arsenal’s draw took them to 36 points, two behind Manchester City and Manchester United, who lead on goal difference. Chelsea move back to fourth place on 34, one ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, with Bolton sixth on 29.

Having been beaten by Arsenal on Monday to make it just six points from 24, Chelsea were desperate to give their fans something to shout about.

However, there was little sign of last-season’s double-winning pedigree in the first hour as Bolton, who would have leapfrogged the Londoners with a win, worked tirelessly.

Neither side had managed a shot on target — though Didier Drogba did hit a post — until Chelsea finally found some energy after 61 minutes when Drogba charged down the right and crossed for Florent Malouda to sidefoot in.

Bolton had several decent chances to equalise but Chelsea nervously held on to record their first league victory since November 10.

“The first half was very difficult, we didn’t play so well and there was a lot of weight on our shoulders,” said Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti. “In the second half we were much better and played with more confidence, and after two games in two days we must say that the players did very well.”

The proverbial wet Wednesday in Wigan became harsh reality for Arsenal as, two days after outplaying the champions, they made eight changes and paid the price against a team who came back from 2-0 down to beat them 3-2 last season.

A Ben Watson penalty after 17 minutes had Wigan ahead but Andrei Arshavin equalised after 39 with an acrobatic volley and Nicklas Bendtner forced his way through to put them ahead just before halftime.

Wigan’s hopes seemed to have disappeared when Charles N’Zogbia was sent off for butting Jack Wilshere after 78 minutes but three minutes later they were level after Sebastien Squillaci headed into his own net.

Wolves belied their position at the bottom of the league by taking the game to Liverpool at Anfield where Steven Gerrard made his first appearance for six weeks after a hamstring injury.

Wolves had managed only one point on the road all season but fully deserved their win, earned by Ward’s neat finish after 56 minutes.

Worryingly for and increasingly frustrated Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson, it was also their first clean sheet.

Congratulations
Taoreed on being appointed as Sports minister in Nigeria. “I rejoice
for you and I rejoice for myself”. I rejoice, because, for the first
time in the history of sports administration in Nigeria, we have an
astute politician cum sports technocrat, who has been eager to see
positive changes in sports administration named a minister of sports. I
remember very vividly, our last discussion on this issue, when we met
in Abuja a few years ago. You are now positioned to actualise some of
those dreams. Let no one deceive you, you don’t need a decade or four
years to institutionalise some aspects of sports management in Nigeria.
You know the terrain very well and I guess that with both eyes closed,
you should be able to navigate your way – politically and
professionally, around the cabal, seemingly, in charge of sports in
Nigeria today.

Yes, Hon Sports
Minister and Chairman of the National Sports Commission, you can make a
difference within the next couple of months, if you strategically avoid
the two sides of the coin and concentrate on the edge. This is what
most administrators don’t take into consideration in this part of the
world. Your predecessor Bio (the fire-brand minister), looked at the
other side of the coin and almost slipped. He was just one lucky man.
And you are extra lucky it seems, because I am sure Mr “Fix-it” will
not be able to fix you up the way your predecessors – apart from Bio
and late Mark Aku, were fixed up.

But then, you will
have to watch your steps with the coterie of professional charlatans
and hypocrites in your commission and ministry.

The marriage
between EDUCATION and SPORTS should also be a priority to you. It
should be said that as the first Physical and Health Education Ph.D
holder and former Education Commissioner, plus indefatigable grassroots
politician, you have the pedigree to illuminate the darkness that has
engulfed Nigerian sports. You should embark on the process immediately
and it sincerely does not matter whether you will be able to complete
it or not. It will be on record that Taoreed Adedoja laid the
foundation and for all I care, you never can tell if you will be the
one to continue after May 2011.

Please leave
football matters alone for now. As far as I am concerned, it will take
the divine intervention to rescue the NFF or NFA from the looming
disaster, the cabal managing our football are either ignorantly or
intentionally, planning. Our elders say “…when the tortoise is
heading on a senseless journey and the tortoise is asked when it will
be wise in order to come back home, the tortoise will respond – ‘not
until I have been disgraced’…”

Football crisis

I have the mandate
of the Creator of the Heavens and the earth, to say the truth, the
entire truth, and nothing but the truth. And a truth is absolutely
clear. The way and manner football is currently being administered in
Nigeria, is leading the “football ship”, slowly but steadily towards
the rock.

Yes, Hon. Minister,
you should look at other sports like Tennis, Table Tennis and Boxing.
These sports have been kidnapped by those I refer to as ‘prostitutes
and perambulators’. These sports have no bottom-up pyramids that will
ensure functional grassroots participation, needed to guarantee career
line for millions of Nigerian children. All we hear and see are
fruitless competitions, either politically motivated or designed to
line the pockets of some so-called sports developers.

Take tennis for
example, the annual Governor’s cup tournament that holds in Lagos has
been on for ten years and only one Nigerian player, Sule Ladipo has
made the country proud, and that was during the early editions of the
international tournament.

Ten years on, with
millions of tax payers’ monies, we have no records to prove that tennis
is developing in Nigeria. There are about 20 standard tennis courts in
Nigeria today but the questions are: – Are these courts meant for
Society Tennis or for the development of the potentials we have in
abundance in Nigeria?

Who are the
trainers or coaches handling grassroots training programmes in Nigeria?
How many trainers/coaches, apart from Coach Rotimi Akinloye, are
recognised by the International Tennis Federation? What are the roles
of Sadiq Abdullahi, acclaimed to be the tennis ambassador of this great
nation, in grassroots tennis development? Is there any programme for
tennis development in our schools and by schools I mean from primary to
our tertiary institutions?

I wonder if
Nigerians know that the erstwhile 1st Deputy President of the World
Table Tennis Confederation is a Nigerian. Not only that, the immediate
past Secretary- General of the NOC, Olabanji Oladapo is also a Table
Tennis man. Meanwhile, we were disgraced at the last Commonwealth Games
in India.

But
congratulations once again, Minister. One thing you can be sure of is
our prayers and professional support. Please consider this column as a
very friendly platform for those of us dedicated to saving Nigerian
sports.

To all our readers, we say compliments of this awesome season. May
the reason of the season manifest in your lives, homes, businesses and
in Nigerian sports. Please remember to appreciate God for keeping us
till this day and continue to pray that all the trees God has not
planted in Nigerian sports, should be uprooted, speedily. Please say
Amen