By Amaechi Agbo

The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development Monday in Abuja inaugurated a 13-man caretaker committee to pilot the affairs of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria, BFN till the current crisis and in-house fighting rocking the federation would be resolved.

The immediate past president of the federation, Barrister Francis Orbih is the chairman of the caretaker committee while Maina Mohammed, Solaja Obiageli, Yusuf Bello, Sheu Sulyman, Tangbe Felix, Tunde Kazeem, George Shitta, Etuku Tenimu, Esther Gidado, Maliq Anas, Amb. Yahaya Yusuf and Grace Gabriel are members.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony, permanent secretary of the sports ministry, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar said it becomes necessary to inaugurate the caretaker committee for the badminton federation so as to move the sports forward.

“Badminton must move with other sports and that is the reason we deemed it fit to inaugurate the caretaker committee”. 

“We are hereby charging you to sensitize every member of the badminton family so as to move the federation forward”.

On his part, Chairman of the Caretaker Committee, Francis Orbih, who commended the sports ministry for the initiative, described the development as positive.

“Let me first of all commend the sports ministry for the good gesture because it is a development capable of promoting the growth of the game in Nigeria”.

“It is a positive development for the growth of the game and I want to categorically say that whoever is interested in the genuine growth and development of badminton in Nigeria would welcome the development put together by the sports ministry”.

Orbih further promised that he will do all in his power to unite all the aggrieved members so as to move badminton to it rightful place in the Nigerian sports.