Immediate past president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, and his successor, Ibrahim Gusau, have hailed the appointment of Shehu Dikko as Director-General of the National Sports Commission.
Both men shared their excitement in separate releases after the announcement on Wednesday following a cabinet reshuffle by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who scrapped the Ministry of Sports Development and brought back the National Sports Commission, geared toward the revamp of Nigerian sports.
“I thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu immensely for this big task handed over to one man that I am convinced can do a good job. Dikko was very close to me personally during our years at the NFF because I saw in him a man with profound vision, dynamism, capacity for a lot of good and great things, positivity, and sincerity,” Pinnick stated.
He added, “Shehu Dikko personified productivity and creativity, and every good thing we accomplished in those years had his hand in it. He is tireless and selfless and has acquired immense knowledge and experience in the sports industry over the past 30 years. I have no doubt that he’s the man to turn around our sports for the better and guarantee our athletes podium performances at the next Olympics in Los Angeles.
“Dikko is highly underrated, but I see him picking the best brains in the land to work with him and set a template for the kind of sports industry that we have always wanted—one that will ultimately benefit all stakeholders and start to contribute significantly to the country’s gross domestic product.”
In the same vein, Gusau congratulated Dikko, saying he has no doubt that his vast experience in football administration as a marketing expert has prepared him adequately to make a success of the big job.
He said, “On behalf of the NFF and the entire Nigeria football fraternity, I warmly and heartily congratulate Mallam Shehu Dikko on this huge national assignment that has been presented to him. I have no doubt that he has the knowledge, skill, experience, steadfastness, temperament, diligence, and intelligence to make a success of the National Sports Commission.
“We served together on the same NFF Board for close to eight years, and I can attest to his enterprise and resourcefulness. He is a man full of meaningful and positive ideas, and the Nigeria Football Federation will surely work together with him to take our football to new heights of excellence.”
On the other hand, Harrison Jalla, an ex-Nigeria international and chieftain of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria, frowned on the choice of Dikko, describing the appointment as a misfortune to Nigerian sports and calling on the President to rescind his decision.
“On what basis was Dikko appointed? Certainly not on merit. Dikko’s track record as Chairman of the League Management Company (LMC) is in the public domain for all to see. Under his leadership, the flagship of Nigerian domestic football, the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), died. In 2022, after 11 years as LMC chairman, Dikko was removed from office, and the NPFL had been reduced to ground zero. The federal government had to step in to rescue the NPFL,” he asserted.
He added, “Despite these efforts, the President may not succeed in achieving a vibrant sports sector because his appointments in the sports sector thus far have been ill-advised and politically motivated. The former Minister of Sports, John Enoh, was a huge mistake, while the appointment of Shehu Dikko is nothing short of a complete disaster.
”Mr. President, with due respect, must reconsider this appointment for the following reasons: There are serious and proven allegations of corruption, criminal diversion, misappropriation, and theft hanging over Dikko. To make matters worse, he is a convict of the Plateau State High Court, Jos, and is evading the law. The return of Dikko as Chairman of the National Sports Commission through intense lobbying of the presidency is an attempt by a notorious football gang to capture Nigerian sports through the back door. This will be fiercely resisted by stakeholders.
”President Tinubu, being a listening leader, will soon receive a formal and official presentation from stakeholders outlining why this appointment is an aberration and cannot stand.
It is now crystal clear that Nigeria’s retired sportsmen and women have no future in sports administration.”