By Ado Salisu
Indications are rife that the National Sports Commission (NSC) Director General Bukola Olopade has displayed lack of Sports management capacity and gross incompetence in the administration of the Sports Commission (NSC) in Nigeria
Making this Known in recent statement made available to journalists in Abuja, is Hon. Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of Athletes and other Sports Development Initiative a registered NGO that advocates Accountability, Transperency and Good Governance in sports.
The former Chairman of Gombe Athletics Association stressed that Bukola Olopade have failed woefully in resigning his position as Managing Director of his Marketing Company (Nilayo) after he was appointed as DG National Sports Commission, an abbaratioion to the established civil service rules
Gombe pointed out that “It is now nearly a month since Bukola Olopade, the current Director General and fraudulent Chief Executive of the National Sports Commission, threatened to sue me and Channels Television if Channels did not withdraw the interview I had with them, in which I mentioned that Bukola Olopade was under investigation by the EFCC”. “He has consistently declined to honour previous invitations by the EFCC, and no action is being taken”. Gombe challenged the NSC DG to initiate legal proceedings, stating “I informed Channels that if they withdrew the interview, I would challenge them on account of the threat against me”. “It has been over a month, and Olopade lacks the courage to proceed to court; I reiterate, Olopade is under investigation”. Moreover, Olopade has already commenced a defamation lawsuit against me in Lagos. “Whatever that implies, we are waiting, and I have instructed my lawyers to respond”. Olopade alleges that I defamed him and Nilayo Sports Marketing Company.
Gombe pointed out that “It is now nearly a month since Bukola Olopade, the current Director General and fraudulent Chief Executive of the National Sports Commission, threatened to sue me and Channels Television if Channels did not withdraw the interview I had with them, in which I mentioned that Bukola Olopade was under investigation by the EFCC”. “He has consistently declined to honour previous invitations by the EFCC, and no action is being taken”. Gombe challenged the NSC DG to initiate legal proceedings, stating “I informed Channels that if they withdrew the interview, I would challenge them on account of the threat against me”. “It has been over a month, and Olopade lacks the courage to proceed to court; I reiterate, Olopade is under investigation”. Moreover, Olopade has already commenced a defamation lawsuit against me in Lagos. “Whatever that implies, we are waiting, and I have instructed my lawyers to respond”. Olopade alleges that I defamed him and Nilayo Sports Marketing Company.
Secondly, Olopade is supposed to be in jail as I write, because He abused his office and still abusing his office as DG NSC promoting Nilayo company for which he is the Managing Director and Shareholder, imperial evidence by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) shows that Olopade did not re-sign his position as MD of Nilayo Sports Marketing Company. He only named his wife as replacement but has not physically and practically allowed her to run the company.
He is still carrying Nilayo Sports about marketing and using the company to get contracts”
“We are taking him to court to answer to the Crime he committed.
Olopade was seen with Enugu State Governor and officials in a group photograph where Enugu State handed over the marketing and promotion of the National Sports Festival coming to the State to Nilayo Sports Marketing Company.
Also, there are other events he has been going round the States promoting his company unguided with bare face”
I ask, is he still the MD of Nilayo or the DG of the National Sports Commission?
Full text of the Statement reads thus.
This is an individual who wanted to go to court claiming he is being defamed and not under investigation”
Bukola Olopade, I want tell you that you are too small to threaten me but for Channels, it’s there problem not mine.
The media also is our problem that’s why we can’t fix anything in sports.
As much as the media continue to behave the way it is, nothing will be fixed in sports.
If you want to go to the media to say something about the happening in sports you must pay.
This is the aftermath of compromise by some of them in the image of Olopade who are destroying this country and our sports.
Nilayo Sports Marketing Company had defrauded many athletes who participated in Marathon he organised.
Nilayo has not paid these athletes running to two, three to five years and we have the records and for this reason, we are going to court immediately.
I had initially given Nilayo and other Marathon race organizers two weeks and extended it to another two weeks and now its already three Months.
When I issued the ultimatum Nilayo Sports Marketing Company rushed to pay athletes part of the Cash prices owed them.
They claimed that Cash prices for locals and international athletes are different.
And we said just pay the locals (national) yet nothing had happened.
Nigeria officials were cajoled and called derogatory names in France during international meet as frudlent. Nigeria 419.
The Kenyans, Ethiopians were calling Nigeria frudlent for organizing races and owing athletes.
We are going to court and number one defendant is Nilayo Sports Marketing Company and the sponsors will not be left out”
If they have not paid the organizers they should tell us.
If the organizers have collected money and could not pay, Why?
I heard they’re delaying paying athletes as they are waiting for doping results.
Doping results for three, four years?
Athletes do win Olympic games gold medal but when test results prove positive, the gold medal is withdrawn.
Which new rules is Nilayo Sports Marketing Company teaching Nigerians?
They are keeping athletes cash prices for two to four years saying they are waiting for dope results.
That’s why I asked the reason Mr. President Ahmed Bola Tinubu should keep the likes of Bukola Olopade in charge of our Sports.
Evidence are all there.
Nilayo Sports Marketing Company does not have the credibility to get close to sports in Nigeria.
Also, the President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Chief Tonobok Okowa will be joined in the suit.
The AFN should show Nigerians prove of the money they collected while supervising road races (Marathons in Nigeria.
AFN is entitled to royalties by World Athletics Standards.
Where are the royalties, which account was it lodged ?
The committee that manages road races in Nigeria must account for the royalties.”
The likes of Gabriel Okon and Tafida Gadzama are members of the committee, they have to answer us.
They have to prove their innocence or negligence.
Now that the courts have resumed the fireworks in court will commence to enhance and entrench accountability and transperency in Nigerian Sports.
The greatest service Mr President can do to this country is to remove Bukola Olopade as DG of NSC. He is under Investigation and doesn’t have the capacity, his only hobby is traveling, threatening and shouting at people way older than him, behaving like an emperor.
He has rendered NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko useless. We shall see in the coming days”. Gombe Concludes
