Speaking at the weekend, Gumel said changes were needed to make the NOC more vibrant and more alive to the wishes of stakeholders, and insisted that the NOC’s constitution would be revised to make the body more vibrant. .
Promising greater inclusion through the body’s 10 commissions, Gumel said: “It’s not an easy process, but we just have to get more people to come together to make the whole system stronger.
“There will be a review of the constitution and this will also be evaluated by the board, after which we will also take everything to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for approval.
“Each of the commissions has members in different areas such as technique, education, etc. but we want to promote them for a better functioning”.
On the upcoming NOC elections on December 15 in Jalingo, Taraba state, Gumel expressed optimism to get the go-ahead again, just as he spoke about the widespread suggestion that he has lost his IOC voting rights.
“People say that I am an ordinary member from Nigeria and that I cannot vote. It isn’t true. There is no seat for other countries, there is nothing like that. It is not like the United Nations or the African Union. Please note that people are chosen in their country.
“I am a member in my own country, here it is the same, it is not a right, they have the right to choose from any country. We have 54 countries, but we only have 15 IOC members, you can see the ratio.
“It is not automatic, it is not a right. I am the one now pushing for additional members because some countries in Europe have two. I am lobbying through my connections,” Gumel said.
