THE new Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Gbenga Elegbeleye, will succeed in the task of transforming Nigerian sports if he made adequate use of his knowledge of grassroots sports, says Olympics silver medalist, Mary Onyali.

The former African 100m and 200m record holder is convinced that the NSC director general will succeed in transforming Nigerian sports, but she called on all stakeholders to rally round the former lawmaker.

Onyali advised the new director general to go back to the grassroots, adding, “he should devise such a programme that will outlive his tenure because so many things depend on his success on this job.

Setting an agenda for the new NSC boss, Onyali said, “A director General is someone that has a lot of hats. He is a leader and at the same time, a head. His position is so sensitive and so vast that he should know all the sports federations, as well as, the international federations.

“He is a learned person, who needs only people of like minds, dedicated and very honest to assist him in this work. He may not be able to win a gold medal in the next Olympic Games in 2016 because winning an Olympic gold medal takes more than four years of preparations and we have barely three years to the next Olympic Games.

“But he should put a structure in place to achieve this in the next Games. However, if Nigeria wins any gold medal in Rio 2016, then it is an added advantage.

“He should seek advice from experienced stakeholders; those we can call experts. I believe he will get the job done if he is steadfast and takes firm and decisive action,” the former Olympian said.

On the director general’s qualification for the job, Onyali said, “Elegbeleye served in the House of Representatives Committee on Sports as deputy chairman, so he knows how the sector works.

“Remember that he is a keen advocate of grassroots sports, which he demonstrated in his home town and in other places in the country.

So if someone like him has served in the House of Representatives and has a grassroots programme running successfully up to date, then he should be given a chance to demonstrate what he knows.”