The elections into the board of the Handball Federation of Nigeria was yesterday ridden with controversy as the Sports Minister, Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahi, received a court order not to swear-in the board headed by a career civil servant, Yussuf Dauda.
The court order was served the Sports Ministry by the Federal High Court in Abuja following irregularities in the election process for the HFN board.
Due to this, while Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi swore-in the board members of other national sports federations, he left out handball claiming that he must obey the rule of law.
The court order originated from the National Coordinator Mega Handball Veterans, Mr. Nicholas Nwani, the stakeholder group.
Nwani applauded the Minister for doing what was expected of a personality holding such exalted office saying that, the effort of the group is geared towards ensuring that the right thing is done.
He regretted that they were pushed to the level of seeking redress in the court, stating that, it was the inability of the National Sports Commission to follow their guidelines that resulted to the current impasse.
“I am happy that the minister has decided to listen to the voice of reason and follow the line of justice.”
“I sincerely believe that the game of handball will emerge victorious after this struggle because it will send a strong message to the board and National Sports Commission that impunity does not pay rather due process and total adherence to guidelines remain the bases that will produce a credible leadership.”
“Finally, I would like to use this opportunity to call on handball stakeholders to remain steadfast and support the struggle to develop handball in Nigeria,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, in adherence to the court order, the board members of Handball Federation of Nigeria including the president Alhaji Yusuf Dauda were all absent at the venue of the swearing-in ceremony yesterday.
One of the board members who spoke on condition of anonymity regretted the problem the National Sports Commission had caused saying that they would have allowed the process to play out on its own to a logical conclusion instead of this undue interference that is currently drawing everybody back.
He pleaded with the Mega Handball Veterans to sheath their sword and come to a round table for amicable settlement of the current crisis.
