By Taiwo Alimi
ARISING from two-day training for sports journalist, the Human and Environmental Development Agency (HEDA) and stakeholders have identified corruption as chiefly responsible for under-development of sport in the country.
The training/seminar with the theme, ‘Tackling Corruption And Under-development Of Sports In Nigeria: Investigative Reporting For The Common Good And Sport Development,’ emphasized the need for sport journalist to embark on deep investigative journalism to uncover corrupt administrators and officials with a view to bring them to book.
At the training in Abuja, Olukayode Thomas, head of communications and media for 2019 Access Bank Lagos Marathon, who delivered a paper acknowledged the ugly trend in every facet of the industry working against development.
“It is the poor Nigerians that are suffering because when you look at young Nigerians that have made a fortune and become somebody in life through sport.
Look at what football has done for Mikel Obi who comes from a humble background and his family members. It means corruption is capable of truncating the future of many like Mikel.”
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Godwin Enakhena, Director of Sport MFM Sport, while delivering his paper agreed that corruption in the sector has continued to rob underprivileged Nigerian youths of opportunities to grow.
He charged journalists and stakeholders to choose between working for the common good and favouring corruption by sports administrators.
“We can all feel and see the corruption in sports, but we still need prove proof it. Therefore, journalists should rise to the occasion in ways that transcend the hypocrisy in the sports journalism sector,” Enakhena said.
Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas is of the opinion that sport journalists need to do more investigative stories to unearth corrupt administrators and bring them to book.
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