Former Minister of Sports Bala Ka’Oje has urged the Federal Government to reconsider the scrapping of the National Sports Commission (NSC) considering the role it has played in sports development.

Ka’Oje was speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) against the backdrop of the merger of NSC with Youth to form the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, as recommended by a ministerial committee set up by the government.

NAN quotes the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, as saying on Wednesday that “by its merger with the Ministry of Youth, the commission and the office of the Director-General were equally annulled by the pronouncements of the President.”

Ka’Oje, however, explained that the commission was meant to build and develop sports at the grassroots through its board by identifying problems and devising a way of solving them.

The former minister noted that the blueprint for sports development in the country was strongly attached to the NSC.

Ka’Oje said that if the National Assembly had passed the law establishing the commission, scrapping it would have been difficult.

“I think the administration has made a big mistake because sport is a very serious business and that is why we thought sports should occupy a very sensitive position whereby government consideration on sports development is paramount.

“That was the reason that necessitated the formation of the National Sports Commission; unfortunately the National Assembly seem not to care about that important bill if not, this scrapping wouldn’t have happened.

“If they had passed that law that created the NSC the present administration will not have scrapped it just like that.

“They would have to gone back to the National Assembly to achieve that, besides they would not even have had any reason to scrap it.”

NAN recalls that Obinna Ogba, had on assumption of duties as Senate Committee Chairman on Sports assured that the National Assembly would revisit the bill to give it the necessary backing.

The assurance was however, not met before the scrapping of the commission, which led to the transfer of its D-G, Alhasan Yakmut, out of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. (NAN)

•Photo shows Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung.

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