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Sports stakeholders in the Federal Capital Territory have kicked against the whispering campaigns for the Executive Secretary of the FCTA Social Services Development Secretariat, Mrs. Felicita Olajide to be appointed the Executive Chairman of the proposed FCT Sports Commission.
Under the present arrangement, the Sports Council which regulates sports in the FCT is a mere department under the Social Services Development Secretariat.
However, sports stakeholders in the FCT have continued to oppose the present arrangement as they blame the continuous decline in FCT sports on the arrangement which allows sports to be managed by non professionals.
Consequently, several proposals had been written by both the authorities of the FCT sports Council and other stakeholders for a sports Commission to be created in the FCT to replace the existing sports council so that sports will get the desired autonomy.
Unfortunately, none of the proposals could see the light of day because the Secretary of the Social Services Development Secretariat had allegedly opposed the proposals which sought to make FCT sports autonomous.
It is said that the last substantive Director of Sports in the FCT, Dr. Geoffrey Ogu was removed and taken to the Secretariat because of his unrepentant calls for a sports Commission in the FCT.
The Abuja Inquirer gathered from officials of the FCT sports Council that following incessant calls for a sports commission in the FCT, Olajide is now lobbying seriously to be appointed Executive Chairman of the proposed Commission.
Some of the staff who spoke on condition of anonymity disclosed that the secretary has insisted that she will support the creation of a sports commission in the FCT only if she would be appointed its Executive Chairman.
However considering what has become of sports under the present arrangement, sports stakeholders in the FCT have called on FCT Minister Senator Adamu Aliero not to appoint the Secretary as the Executive Chairman of the proposed commission because she has never demonstrated enough interest in sports.
According to them, FCT contingent to the just concluded 16th National Sports Festival in Kaduna were like sheep without a shepherd because the social development secretariat did not pay any attention to their needs.
Some of them alleged that apart from withholding and misappropriating funds approved for FCT’s participation at the sports festival, the secretariat could not properly kit officials and athletes who represented the territory at the festival.
It is said that several weeks after the end of the festival, the athletes and officials of FCT have continued to lament none payment of their allowances by the Social Services Development Secretariat.
Thus, the stakeholders and even officials of the FCT sports councils are highly opposed to the rumours making the rounds that the secretary may be appointed to head the proposed sports commission.
Instead they are of the opinion that if sports in the FCT is to be taken out of the doldrums, a sound sports administrator in the FCT must be appointed to head the proposed sports Commission.