President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Mallam Shehu Dikko as Director-General of the National Sports Commission on Wednesday has left a litany of reactions in the wake, with some Nigerians showing optimism and scepticism on social media, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The appointment, which was announced in a statement by the presidency after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting, came as part of eight far-reaching actions aimed at reinvigorating the administration’s capacity for optimal efficiency.
Notable among the changes was the transfer of the functions of the Ministry of Sports Development to the National Sports Commission and the move of Senator John Owan Enoh from Sports Development to become Minister of State for Trade and Investment, a decision that has sparked debate among Nigerian sports enthusiasts.
Vincent Ayang praised Enoh’s tenure in sports, stating, “@OwanEnoh did very well as a sports minister and should have been left there instead of moving him to a minister of state. This is not fair to Cross River State.”
This sentiment was echoed by Abraham Opeyemi, who expressed disappointment about the change. “What pained me most is the Minister of Sports. The man has been doing fantastic in that ministry, @OwanEnoh…now the new minister of sports just can’t be like Mr. Enoh,” he wrote on X.
However, some critics, including Edidem Alexander, disagreed, as he simply wrote, “Someone like John Owan Enoh ought to be out as Minister.”
While some stakeholders, including Benedict Adeyemi and the Super Eagles fan page @Cybereagles, welcomed Dikko’s appointment with congratulatory messages, with others viewing the broader cabinet reshuffle with scepticism.
“Resurfling people who only think of new ‘asoke’ and ‘agbada’. People who didn’t make any impact in the position that was given them,” wrote X user @5nkid.
Pastor Edward Daniel added, “APC is good at packaging failure.”
“This is really not the restructuring Nigerians are yearning for; focus on correcting economic devastation created in the first year of this government,” Olu Chuks wrote on X, while @baKano__ simply stated, “You guys are sacking the wrong guys.”