Former WBA International, British and Commonwealth light heavyweight boxing champion, Peter Oboh, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint a sportsman or sport loving personality as minister of sports.
According to the boxer turned-cleric, in order to achieve positive results in sports and make champions out of green horns, a sport minister must be a person who loves sports or one with a good pedigree in sports.
“I strongly plead with President Muhammadu Buhari that when it comes to appointing minister of sports, he should appoint a sports lover or a person with sports background, who has what it takes to produce results and make champions out of rookies,” Oboh pleaded.
While congratulating the ministerial nominees for successfully passing through the screenings, the former international boxing champion said, with about 180 million people, Nigeria should learn to take advantage of her huge population, unlike India whose population seems to be a disadvantage when it comes to sports.
He stated: “I think we should learn to take advantage of our huge population, something that is a disadvantage to the Indian nation. Sometimes, we do not understand how blessed Nigeria is. The richest black man in the world, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, is a Nigerian. There are also other Nigerians who are as rich as him but who do not appear on the Forbes’ list of richest men for personal reasons.
“Nigeria is not just a nation but also a United States with diverse talents and strengths. Our chances of ruling global sports is higher than that of other countries where everyone looks alike, thinks alike and have the same ideology. The foundation of success in sports is first in the hands of the federal government vis-a-vis the sports minister, and then state governors and philanthropists like Dangote and Otedola whose contributions to Nigerian sports are commendable. Nigeria is not far from becoming the giant of African sports if we are willing to take the advantage of our resources and opportunities.”
