The ridiculous and unbelievable remarks of Barrister Solomon Dalung, a man who President Muhammadu Buhari appointed as the general overseer of Nigeria’s youth and sports, has shown that Nigeria’s sports has been placed into the hands of a complete stranger.
Dalung, 51, was named as Nigeria's new Minister of Youth and Sports on Wednesday, November 11, 2015.
He studied law at the University of Jos, graduating in 1999 and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Bwari, in Abuja, graduating the next year. He was called to the Bar in 2001.
Dalung’s experience in law was perhaps why many were surprised with his appointment as sports minister.
His sporting antecedents are unclear, so why was he appointed to head an important ministry - Youth and sports?
This has become a random question asked by many Nigerians following Dalung gaffes and blunders.
In this piece, NAIJ.com has revealed the many times Dalung brought shame to Buhari, Nigeria and himself.
From his famous gaffe, to utter neglect of the Olympics team in Rio 2016, his perception that Nigeria is too hungry for the World Cup and finally to Super Falcons suffering as a result of FG’s decision to underestimate the team, Dalung has proved to his critics right in seeing him as an unfit person to head our Sports Ministry at this stage of our development.
1. Dalung called USA - United State of Nigeria
Amid controversies surrounding the Nigeria U-23 departure to Brazil for the Rio Olympic Games, Minister of Sports Solomon Dalung made a blunder while briefing the press.
The minister, who was trying to distance the sports ministry from the predicament facing the Dream Team VI, refereed to the U.S as “The United States of Nigeria.”
He said:” Our U-23 team are suffering in the United States of Nigeria. “Who took them there? What are there for?
“Because they are U-23 and they went to US and they are having problems, does that become our business?”
2. After the Nigeria’s contingents to the Rio Olympics game returned with one bronze medal and Paralympians returned with 12 medals , Dalung said athletes don’t need too much preparation to do well at competitions
Dalung again triggered the ire of Nigerians following his claim that athletes don’t need too much preparation to excel in competitions.
His remark came after the sterling performance posted by Team Nigeria athletes at the on-going Paralympic Games also in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
According to him, the Paralympic athletes also had bad preparations like their able bodied athletes but are doing better in Brazil.
3. Dalung says Nigeria does not need to attend the next World Cup holding in Russia
Dalung stunned Nigerians again when he said last month that he was against Nigeria’s participation at the World Cup.
His reasons are that the competition stinks of corruption, Nigeria is too poor to waste money on it and that Nigeria would never win the trophy.
The implication of his statement is also that it is not necessary to waste money qualifying when you cannot win the World Cup.
He said Nigeria should be content with playing at the Nations Cup, Olympics, Commonwealth Games. He said that Nigeria could win the Nations Cup but not the World Cup.
4. Dalung says there is no money to pay Super Falcons because FG and NFF didn’t think they will win
Dalung yesterday, December 8, revealed that the federal government and NFF never knew Super Falcons of Nigeria could win the Africa Women Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
The minister made this shocking disclosure while addressing newsmen at Aso Rock, when asked why the ladies allowances were being delayed.
Dalung believes that the sit-in-hotel protest of the Falcons wouldn’t have occurred if the NFF had put into consideration the Falcons chances of winning the African title.
He noted that the government would have made preparations for the ladies if the football federation had envisioned the ladies victory.
The minister said nobody believed Falcons will become champions again.
He said that if they had known the ladies would win, they would have gotten their allowances by now. Dalung blamed the NFF for not planning ahead of time.
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