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Group Tags Nigeria Olympic Committee President, Gumel, A Failure, Tells Him To Jettison Re-election Plan

Group Tags Nigeria Olympic Committee President, Gumel, A Failure, Tells Him To Jettison Re-election Plan
December 4, 2022

The group described him as a failure, saying he should allow young, vibrant and goal-oriented individuals to succeed him.

A group under the aegis of United Sports Stakeholders has advised the President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Habu Ahmed Gumel to forget about his ambition to seek re-election into the office for the fifth time.

The group described him as a failure, saying he should allow young, vibrant and goal-oriented individuals to succeed him.

In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its spokesman, Comrade Sylvanus Ofekun, the group said there has been no visible development in the last 16 years that Gumel has been in charge of NOC.

It said under his leadership, Nigeria “lost her Congress Membership of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)”.

The statement reads, “Following several media channels report that the incumbent President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Engineer Habu Ahmed Gumel, is seeking re-election into the same office for the fifth time. This is to say the least, despicable.

“His complacency and reprehensible laxity laced with his lack of transparency are some of the attributes he has displayed since his first election as President of the NOC, which have grounded sports in Nigeria.

“For instance, in the last 16 years of presiding over the NOC, no visible improvement has been recorded nor a clear-cut direction offered to the NOC.

“Under the leadership of Gumel, Nigeria lost her Congress Membership of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He attained membership of the IOC in 2009 and became ineligible to continue after attaining the mandatory 70 years of age on April 1st, 2019.

“According to Rule 16.3.3.1 of the Olympics Charter, an IOC Member ceases to be a Member at the end of the calendar year during which he reaches the age of 70.

“At the continental level, Engineer Gumel alongside the President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), Mustapha Berraf are facing corruption allegations which both of them are yet to deny.

“Since he is no longer relevant at the international level, couple with the fact that NOC has failed in its responsibilities under Engr. Gumel’s presidency, we therefore appeal that he rests his ambition for younger, vibrant, dynamic and result oriented individuals to via for the office of the President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and bring breathe of "fresh air" into that office.”

There have been reports that with the Elective Congress of the NOC slated to hold on December 15 in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, some stakeholders in the sector have kicked against Gumel seeking re-election.

According to reports, the stakeholders are rooting for a change in the leadership of the body.