By: Olusegun Lawrence The Senate Committee on Sports on Tuesday lashes out at the Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi for abandoning the defence of the National Sports Commission’s budget for 2014 because of Athletics Championship holding in Poland.
Chairman and members of the committee were stunned when the Director General of NSC, Gbenga Elegbeleye, told them that the Minister could not come for budget defence because he travelled out of the country for athletics tourney.
Adamu Gumba, the Committee Chairman wondered if the trip to Poland was more important to the minister than the budget defence.
He therefore, turned down the budget proposal and asked Elegbeleye to return to the Committee when his minister is back.
Gumba, particularly noted that the Minister has not appeared before the committee, saying the Commission risks zero allocation if the minister does not show up.
The Committee Chairman said: “For close to three years now, the Sports Minister has never appeared before this committee either for budget defence or for any other hearing relating to sports development in the country.
“Though your submission on why the minister is not here may sound logical but since to us, it has been the habit of the minister not to appear before us, we are not going to listen to any budget presentation from your commission which is even the major responsibility of the minister of sports.
“You said after leaving Ilorin yesterday afternoon, he had gone to Poland for an indoor sports athletic championship which to him is more important than the entire budget of his ministry and parastatals under him for year 2014, he must be here.
“We are not going to take any budgetary submission from any agency under the ministry without the presence of Bolaji Abdullahi to tell him that we cannot be looked down upon.”
