‘Why we declared state of emergency in Nigerian sports’

Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, has revealed that the ministry declared a state of emergency in the country’s sports to push Nigerians into taking critical look at the sector with a view to repositioning it.

To achieve the desired success, Dalung enjoined all stakeholders to come together to lift the industry out of the current parlous state.

Speaking after receiving the report of the Godwin Kienka-led National Reform Committee on Sports in Abuja, Dalung reasoned that for the report to be fully implemented, everybody must contribute positively to actualize the dream.

He said: “Part of the reasons we had to declare a state of emergency in sports is to take steps to regain public confidence, which we have lost and this will take us to looking into what we have done in the past and where we didn’t do it well.

“We will also ensure that this report is made public and every stage of implementation is advertised and brought to the knowledge of Nigerians. This will help rekindle public confidence and assure investors that we will no longer do things the way we used to.”

Speaking on the alleged mismanagement of the ministry’s funds, Dalung said, “These are issues that have to do with law and investigation because you must have facts to make allegations of mismanagement.