The President of the Nigeria Badminton Federation of Nigeria, and the current 1st vice president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, Francis Orbih has declared that the Nigeria Olympic Committee deserve a breath of fresh air as they head toward a new election, thereby advising the current president, Habu Gumel to step aside for a new person to lead the body.

Orbih stated this while briefing Journalists in Asaba. He noted that it will be better for the president whom he stated had spent sixteen years as the NOC president to leave the stage when the ovation is loudest.

"Yes, the NOC election is coming up and I belong to the school of thought which strongly believes that if you keep the same thing over and over you will continue to get the same result. So, for me, I am for paradigm shift. Let there be a move away from the past, let's have new people, and new hands come in and try something new and how we can reposition NOC, that is where I stand.

"For people who have been there for so long, we appreciate what they have done. We cannot say they have not done anything. They have tried and we thank them very much, but we feel it is time to step aside and leave the stage and let other people come and try and let's see how we can do better than what we have done for some time now.

"So, we need a kind of a breath of fresh air in NOC, let's rejig the place, and let's see how we can do better than what we've had in the past. I can tell you for free that that is where I stand and that is what I believe. I don't believe in overstaying once welcome. If you've stayed and you have contributed your quarter, and people appreciate what you have done it's always good you leave when the ovation is loudest.

"But if the person insists on not leaving then we go there and do what we need to do. You see change is not something that is constant, so if it is time to change we must make it happen.

"The current president has been there for almost sixteen years and he wants to go for another four years. For me, if you have stayed in a place for sixteen years I think it is more than enough time to carry out whatever plans you have for the place, and if after sixteen years there is nothing new you are going to do anymore and that is the truth.

"But, unfortunately, we are in a place where people shy away from speaking the truth, they shy away from standing for what is right, but I can tell you for free that I am not one of those. If I believe in something I will stand for it even if I am the only one,"