As the rank and file of Nigeria Police converge on Awka, the Anambra State capital for the 12th edition of its biennial Police Games, Sport Editor MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN reviews the contributions of the Force to the growth and development of sports in the country as well as plan towards successful hosting of Anambra 2020
AFTER a four-year break, the rank and file of the Nigeria Police will converge on Awka for the 12th edition of its biennial sporting activities otherwise known as the Police Games.
“Awka has a certain kind of aura about it,” stated late novelist and author of Things Fall Apart among other masterpieces, Prof. Chinua Achebe; “because it was the place of the blacksmiths that created implements which made agriculture possible.”
But Awka, the capital of Anambra State, will, as from tomorrow to March 7, witness a different milieu as policemen and women battle for sporting glories in 31 events at different centres around the city and its environs.
“Over the years, Nigeria Police has been synonymous with sporting excellence, “the Police Public Relations Officer (PPPRO) Frank Mba remarked at a press briefing in Lagos to herald the forthcoming event.
“The Police Games has a long and rich history as far back as 1946 when the first event was held with only athletics competed for. But over time, the number of sporting activities began to increase. In fact, it was an annual event initially and eventually became a biennial event; it was when it became a biennial event that we started counting.
“We had the last edition of the games unfortunately in 2016 in Abuja; and so Awka 2020 is the 12th edition of our biennial Police Games,” noted the Deputy Commissioner of Police and former Lagos State PPPRO.
While many would frown at the rationale behind the resuscitation of the Police Games based on the existent security challenges in the country, Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP) Hakeem Odumosu stoutly defended the benefits of such engagements, adding that it would, among other things, improve performance within the Force.
“Policing is not only about security but over time, our officers have equally shown the stuff they are made of by excelling in sporting activities and that is why we are all eagerly looking forward to the forthcoming Akwa 2020 Police Games in Anambra,” explained Odumosu, a certified journalist and an Assistant Inspector-General of Police.
Incidentally, Odumosu’s views are similar with what was offered by a global initiative, Bon Secours on how policemen and women could benefit from sporting and high performance training.
Bon Secours ( a French coinage that means Good Help) noted in one of its publications that the demanding nature of policing requires that the officers must be super fit in order to perform better on their core security duties: “Whether you are a police officer, firefighter or member of the military, your job can require a lot from you physically. Just like an athlete, you can benefit from performance training that focuses on improving your strength, cardiovascular health and flexibility. Improved job performance and physical fitness that can help you perform better on duty.”
But the importance of the Police Games vis-a-vis their roles in the growth and development of sports in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasised according to a doyen of sport journalism in Nigeria, Segun Adenuga.
The Septuagenarian, who was the Team Manager of Lagos darling club Stationery Stores in his younger years, said the history of Nigerian sport, especially football cannot be completed without the role played by the police over the years.
“The first Nigerian goalkeeper in football history was actually an Olopa (Policeman in Yoruba language) and this was as far back as 1938,” the seasoned journalist, who is a walking encyclopaedia on Nigerian and Ghanaian football, recalled with nostalgia.
“His name was Benjamin Williams and that is Nigeria Police for you because they have been engaging in football and other sporting activities long before now.
“We should not forget our history and I make bold to say again that Sam Ibiam was not the first Nigerian goalkeeper but policeman Benjamin Williams.
“Williams was actually in goal in 1938 when Nigeria played against the then Gold Coast (Ghana) to declare open the Onikan Stadium (now renamed as Mobolaji Olufunso Johnson Stadium in honour of the first military administrator of Lagos State).
“How can we then forget Ben Williams as the first Nigerian goalkeeper in history?” Adenuga asked with slight degree of petulance.
Yet, Adenuga was full of admiration for the Nigeria Police over its contributions to the evolvement of the country’s oldest football competition which hitherto was known in different variants as War Memorial Challenge Cup, FA Cup, Challenge Cup and Federation Cup. The Nigeria Police Machine played in two high profile finals in 1959 and 1962.
Hear Adenuga: “In 1959, the Nigeria Police Machine played in the FA Cup final against Ibadan Lions led by the great Teslim ‘Thunder’ Balogun who scored the only goal of the match in what I say was one of the best FA Cup final in the history of Nigerian football.
“That year, they produced another great goalkeeper in Emmanuel Ominu who was a police man and I remember they also had a fantastic defender Akinbiyi who was also a police man and a host of others, including Bazuaye.
“Bazuaye was also a policeman and the father of late coach Willy Bazuaye which many people of today should be familiar with. In fact, Nigeria Police have a chequered history in Nigerian sport because they are into athletics and other sports too.
“But it’s in football that the impact of Nigeria Police is visible because they produced many illustrious footballers for the country,” he added.
Yet, the Nigeria Police’s contribution is not limited to football alone following the remarkable successes recorded by other athletes from its fold.
There was Samuel Peters “The Nigeria Nightmare” who was a former World Boxing Council (WBC) Heavyweight Champion ; ditto Sunday Oyarekhua who was a member of the Green Eagles and the famous All Africa Games soccer gold medal-winning team of 1973; KiKelomo Ajayi who was a former skipper of Nigeria Super Falcons as well as great Olympians, including Chioma Ajunwa-Opara who has the distinction as the first Nigerian (and yet the only) athlete to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games.
Speaking further about the eagerly-awaited Anambra 2020, Mba said the event would be a mini-Olympics Games with the amount of work and preparations that had been put in place to make it a success.
He said the force’s high command resuscitated the games after four years of break occasioned by paucity of funds and security exigencies across the country, explaining that Anambra 2020 was strateg
ically planned to achieve three-prong purposes: improvement of officers’ fitness; unearthing talents that could represent the country as well as deepening community policing.
It was gathered that bulk of the sporting activities will take place at the Rojenny Sport Complex in Oba, which has witnessed an extensive facelift for the Games. Also, the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka which used to host social events will, because of the Police Games, host events such as swimming following the construction of an Olympic-sized swimming pool as well as the volleyball, handball and tennis events.
The Permanent National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) Orientation Camp at Umuawulu in Awka South was not left out and has been renovated to cater for accommodation of some of the athletes while the Police College by Orji River will also serve as one of the competition’s centres.
“These facilities are part of the advantages gained when major sporting festivals such as the Police Games is hosted by the state and the citizens of Anambra State will enjoy these benefits in terms of infrastructural development and economic empowerment,” explained Mba, a lawyer.
Continuing, he said: “The Anambra State government are playing a very key role in the success of the games because they are the lead sponsor in partnership with Nigeria Police.
“We are also partnering with all the major sporting federations because they would be playing key roles, as you are aware the National Sports Festival (NSF) is around the corner. So, some of the athletes, especially those from the police, would use the opportunity to fine-tune their preparedness ahead of Edo 2020.
“Governor Willie Obiano as a sports enthusiast has shown tremendous goodwill to Nigeria Police and has used this opportunity to turn around the sporting infrastructure within the state.”
However, a security expert and founder of Nigeria Pitch Awards (for sporting excellence) Shina Phillips said the Inspector- General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar Adamu deserves a part on the back for his wilful support to ensure that Anambra 2020 sees the light of the day.
“Apart from the fact that he Nigeria Police is an institution on its own, a nation that is devoid of sporting activities will be breeding an unhealthy set of people,” Phillips, a certified swimmer and fitness expert told The Nation.
“A sound mind needs to be physically healthy too and it is important to imbibe this culture in the Nigeria Police. Disregarding the inherent benefits of sports to the Nigeria Police will amount to undermining the state of our domestic security because an unhealthy police work force cannot combat crime.”
He continued: “The Nigeria Police had long had a sporting culture and the essence of its sporting department is to ensure its contributions to the pool of athletes that can represent the country at international competitions.
“It goes to say that the Nigeria Police in its relationship with the sporting community over the years has contributed immensely to the growth of the country consequently I think the IGP Adamu as well as Governor Obiano of Anambra State deserves a huge part on the back for bringing back the Police Games.”
Indeed, the efforts of Anambra State and Nigeria Police towards a successful hosting of Anambra 2020 has not yet gone unnoticed following the pronouncement of acclamation by the Minister for Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare when the Police Games’ Central Organizing Committee led by AIG Usman Baba Alkali paid him a courtesy call on Tuesday.
The Minister, in an official release signed by his media aide, John Joshua-Akanji, was quoted as saying that the ministry has already reeled off plans to take full advantage of the event (Anambra 2020) to identify sports talents within the Force and work with the Police in developing them to future champions.
As they say,’ Let the Games (Anambra 2020) Begin…
Leave a Reply