The Nation Newspaper

Tag: upper cut

  • Leg over 2013

    Taking a critical look into 2013 as it affects sports in Nigeria I will say that we recorded relative peace and growth in national status compared to the past year. The major chunk of this glory was brought to Nigeria by the football sector yet we cannot close our eyes to the achievements of athletics, weight lifting and cricket just to mention a few.

    Whereas in the domestic scene we still have a lot to look forward to as I can say that this year was practically used in reviewing and repositioning certain domestic sport regulations and policies for which I am optimistic will transcend to a great benefit in the coming year but today will not be complete if I don’t remind our sport managers of what they need to concentrate on doing in the coming year.

    It has often been said that sport is a very important instrument with the capability of transforming the economy of a nation. I am very convinced that Nigeria has the capacity to benefit from this power of sport. As we move into the new year, I expect that sport managers will begin to see the need on how to jointly develop the product of sport and create a viable industry that will attract investors interest.

    We need to look into the various ways that we package and deliver our local sport content as we cannot build or develop the sport industry if we fail to promote a stable polity within the sport industry. This assertion is important because I believe that the period of nursing our industry is well over and our learning stage is over as well and now should be a stage for practical demonstration of all that experience have thought us over the years

    Politically, we need to be stable to be able to develop and execute workable policies that will see to the emergence of a viable sport industry in Nigeria. We need to get to the point whereby we can quantify the contribution of sport to our national GDP and I say it is possible to achieve this feat. We need to run our sport clubs professionally and organise our leagues professionally with all transparency and best international practices exemplified.

    I don’t see the need why most of our talented youths will be leaving this country in search of a greener pasture in sports outside the shores of Nigeria when we have a multi-billion naira industry that has not been tapped here in Nigeria. I dare say that Nigeria has got all it takes to activate a viable industry in sports and we need to work very hard to ensure that we move away from the current state of disjointed organisation of sports within Nigeria to a more decent and professional manner.

    At this point I will like to also talk about the failure of most state governments in the areas of sport infrastructure development. Considering the population of Nigeria I tend to wonder why in most states we cannot boast of having sport facilities at the various local government areas across the nation.

    Fundamentally, if we must develop the sports industry in Nigeria I think the council of sport should do more than to discuss the rules governing sport festivals and discuss more on an affirmative action that will enhance the development of local sport centres and facilities across the various local governments in their respective states within Nigeria.

    We need these sport facilities so as to create the needed environment for sports to thrive and grow into an enviable height that we all look forward to. There is also the need for us to have a national certification process that will be able to certify the practitioners of sport management in Nigeria thus, developing a kind of standard that we can use to measure and relate with as it affects the practitioners.

    According to the Executive chairman of RICS Consult Limited, Mr. Magnus Rex Danquah in a paper he presented on ‘Sports as a tool for development’ at the 1st International Ghana Physical Education & Sport Thinktank Conference he postulated as follows;

    One major resultant benefit of any economic impact assessment of sports and sports events on the economy, within the context of sports as an emerging industry, will be the determination of the current levels of employment of the sector.

    However, a cursory look without any empirical analysis paint a promising picture from performers, technical personnel, managers, club owners, administrators, media, rights owners, broadcasters, stadia hawkers and concessionaires, kits manufacturers and shop owners, events owners, service providers, sports-related allied-suppliers, PE practitioners, and the sports academia as assembled here.

    I could conjecture a million people employed by sports in the non-formal sector, either permanently, casual labour or as volunteers, from the community to district to regional and then finally to the national level.

    Sport is more than for leisure it is real business and theNigerian government will be better for it if it can see the opportunities inherent in hosting major sporting events in Nigeria. We need to attract the hosting of international sporting events to strengthen our human and economic capacity as well as open up the sport industry in Nigeria by attracting investment opportunities to Nigeria.

    As we look forward to a more rewarding sport year 2014 may I use this medium to wish all my readers a blessed season and a happy new year in advance. Uppercut promises to be more exciting and informative in the coming year.

    Congratulations Professor Ademola Abass!!!

    I join all well wishers in congratulating my friend, teacher and mentor for his advancement to the highly esteemed chair of Professor at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan. I congratulate you Professor Ademola Abass for your elevation as Professor of Exercise Physiology which is well deserved. Congrats Professor.

  • The winning team

    The winning team

    The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This biblical saying depicts the state of our football and, by extension, the sporting sector within the Nigerian polity.

    I remember the theory of exploitation in sport as was explained to me by one of my professors in my days as a post-graduate student at the University of Ibadan. He told us the story of how the principal of a school, who previously never supported the idea of having a school team, let alone agreeing to sponsor one, underwent a rapid mind change when the team became successful. He suddenly became proud to call them ‘my boys’.

    Kudos must be given to the current managers of our football because before now, no one, and I mean no one, gave them a chance, especially when they had to grapple with the disappointing year that ended with Nigeria not qualifying to play in any major competition. Although, this, to me, was as a result of the fact that the football managers were spending more of their time in and out of courts because of the incessant litigations that were directed at frustrating the system. The challenge was taken up by the managers of our football and to a large extent they were able to address the various cases.

    While the management is busy working hard to achieve the splendid result that we are recording, I must also identify the very pragmatic role of leadership that was played by the Honourable Minister of Sports Bolaji Abdullahi. This minister threw away the ministerial toga, rolled up his sleeves and worked for peace within the Nigerian football family. Furthermore, his ability to work around seemingly difficult terrain to achieve results earned him more respect from many. Here is a man who did not allow himself to fall into the trap of his predecessors, who, rather than solving the problem in their sector, became partisan members of the same problem and as such never commanded the ministerial respect they ought to have commanded.

    In my assessment of the contribution of sport to our national polity within the year under review, I am of the strong opinion that sport tops all other sectors of the Nigeria polity in terms of offering practical results that can be seen and attested to by all Nigerians.

    Let me digress. The government and by this I mean the Federal Government should by now understand the power of sport and the need to support the growth and development of this sector. The plain truth is that without adequate funds we may not be able to prosecute the various plans and programmes that will take our sport to the next level. I am aware that due to the paucity of funds in the Glass House, management staffers are still being owed arrears of their salaries, while so many committee sittings were done on credit, but the sheer determination of the managers saw them through to achieving the victories that are now celebrated by the entire country.

    Government must make a policy direction shift from all the talk of creating jobs through other means and consider sport as one of those means through which we can create jobs. As I have often advocated, the activation of sport economy in Nigeria will be a revolution of great things to come and will be able to match our current inflow from oil, if not surpass it, because we have the human resources and talents to drive all what we need.

    Considering the various achievements recorded in our sport sector, I am of the strong conviction and view that we need to make all necessary amends as it relates to our national policy direction because of the fact that we have the capacity to record great successes in all areas of sport, if we are determined to promote the sector to such a stage that it will in turn be regarded as a catalyst for national rebirth and patriotism among Nigerians.

    Let me also say that the idea as is being muted in some quarters that sport should not be properly and adequately funded is a factor that should be jettisoned by all interested parties who are concerned about the growth and development of sport in this country. I dare say that those in this category are only interested in feasting on the failure of sport, and, since Mr. President is now able to see the impact and power of sport, I am of the sincere opinion that we should begin to see more government investment in sport.

    In concluding this piece, I must once more congratulate the amiable leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation for their forthright leadership which has ensured that we can relax when watching any of our national teams play. I also commend the Honourable Minister of Sports for a job well done and I say congratulations to all Nigerian’s.