The Senate Committee on Sports on Thursday threatened to issue warrant of arrest on Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Mr Solomon Dalong, for failing to appear before it for a second time.
The Chairman of the committee, Sen. Obinna Ogba, who issued the threat in Abuja on Thursday, however, gave the Minister Thursday May 19, 2016 to appear before it.
He stated the minister had failed twice to appear before the committee without any reason, adding that it was an affront and disrespect to the Senate.
“The sports minister has not been respecting the Senate, we cannot continue this way.
“We are giving the minister a new date of Thursday next week to brief the Senate on the level of preparation for the Olympics.
“The Clerk of this committee is hereby directed to write a strongly worded letter to the minister inviting him to come here on Thursday”, he stated.
He stated that the minister had to brief the committee on the level of preparation for the Olympics, World Cup qualifiers, delay in appointing a new Super Eagles’ Coach and the crisis rocking the Nigeria Football Federation.
He decried the situation where the President of the Nigerian Football Federation would say something and the minister would counter it like they were operating in disunity.
“Dalong is a minister and he is not to run the affairs of football federation. As a minister, his function is to supervise and not to run the day to day affairs of the federation.
“The NFF President would say he wants to employ a foreign coach and the minister would say he has not been given approval.
“It is not the duty of the minister to give approval or not to give approval.
“I was the first Vice President of NFA and I want to use this medium to tell the Hon. Minister of Sports what we want to do and not to get approval from him.
“Whoever runs the Nigeria Football Federation is elected and the person has the mandate of the people”, he stated.
A member of the committee, Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa (PDP – Abia North), condemned the non-appearance of the minister, describing it as an insult.
“The absence of the sports minister at the Senate committee on sports invitation is an affront on the committee.
“The minister must be cautioned that he should not take the invitation of a Senate Committee for granted next time because the Nigerian people are represented by the lawmakers”, he stated.
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