“On the average, he is about the best minister that we have had in the last 15 years,” Toyin Ibitoye. Several Nigerians have reacted to the removal of Bolaji Abdullahi as Sports Minister on Wednesday, describing him as a man who brought improvement to the nation’s sports sector while in office. Mr. Abdullahi’s sack was announced by presidential aide, Reuben Abati, to State House correspondents in Abuja. President Goodluck Jonathan has already sworn-in Tamuno Danagogo as the new Sports Minister. Although no official reason was given for his sack, sources told PREMIUM TIMES the minister was sacked because of his closeness to an opposition leader and current senator, Bukola Saraki. Reacting to Mr. Abdullahi’s sack, Mr. Saraki, also a former Kwara State governor, commended the ex-minister. Mr. Saraki, on his twitter handle, said the former minister, who is also from Kwara, performed well. “Proud of Bolaji Abdullahi’s accomplishments as minister. A great son of Kwara who made his state proud regardless of political affiliation”, the senator said. In his reaction, an aide to Mr. Abdullahi, Ohimai Amaize, eulogised the former minister on twitter. Using his twitter handle, @mrfixnigeria, Mr. Amaize tweeted several times about his boss. “For@BolajiAbdullahi it didn’t matter where you came from or the God you served. It was about getting the job done.” “He was more than a Boss to us. He was a mentor and a friend,” Mr. Amaize said. In his reaction, the Chairman of the Sports Writer Association in Abuja, Kayode Adeniyi, described Mr. Abdullahi as an achiever. “Let us also remember that during the time of this man, sports moved forward. We achieved so many things in sports. We cannot say he doesn’t have his own weaknesses, but what we are looking at is that positive aspects,” he told PREMIUM TIMES. The journalist said since it was the president that appointed Mr. Abdullahi, it was within his right to drop him when he deemed fit. Another sports journalist, Toyin Ibitoye, also commended the former sports minister. “On the average, he is about the best minister that we have had in the last 15 years. He is intelligent, he is young he is active and proactive, no doubts there are mistakes but on the average, he is still better than those we had before him. “And we hope the new person coming can only improve on the positive things he has done, correct some of the mistakes he made, so that sports can move forward in Nigeria,” Mr. Ibitoye said. Another journalist, Kayode Tijani, expressed surprise at Mr. Abdullahi’s sack. “I was surprised, thinking with all he has achieved, he will still be there till like after the world cup, for stability. “When it comes to the appointment of a minister, anyone can be sacked at any time. It doesn’t matter who you are, everybody knows this but I will say congratulations to him for everything he achieved. He has to move on,” Mr. Tijani said.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 10:12:44 +0000
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