With some sports activities directors of Nigerian origin doing nice issues internationally and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a number of the finest on the planet, many are in awe that the nation’s sports activities are nonetheless dogged by poor administration. CHRISTIAN OKPARA writes that poor recruitment system, corruption, and politics are among the many issues hampering sports activities administration within the nation.
Nigeria is a rustic blessed with huge human and materials sources. That explains why there are numerous Nigerians excelling in numerous spheres of human endeavour in virtually each main nation of the world.
A few of these professionals might be seen even in sectors not generally related to Nigeria.Early this yr, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia appointed Nigeria’s Enefiok Udo-Obong, as the top of its new Athletics Growth Programme. The implication is that Udo-Obong, whose first official responsibility was to review the Kingdom’s athletes on the current Paris 2024 Olympic Video games, has the accountability of overseeing and spearheading a revolution in Saudi Arabia’s athletics, which is predicted to yield world-class stars for the Center East nation.
Particularly, Udo-Obong, like Harmless Egbunike, who for a few years plied his commerce in lots of Gulf nations, is predicted to make sure that Saudi Arabia produces athletes who will compete for medals on the Los Angeles 2026 Olympic Video games.
It’s a multi-million greenback programme, which noticed athletics coaches and managers from totally different components of the world vying for the place that was ultimately gained by the Sydney 2000 Olympics gold medallist.
Earlier than Udo-Obong moved to Saudi Arabia, one other Nigerian, Michael Emenalo, a former Enyimba, Enugu Rangers, and Tremendous Eagles star, gained the duty of manufacturing essentially the most profitable soccer league on the planet in Saudi Arabia.
Emenalo’s process, aside from overseeing the recruitment of high professionals from internationally to the nascent Saudi League, additionally includes growing a soccer tradition that may produce high indigenous stars for the Kingdom and likewise rising the league to rank among the many finest soccer competitions wherever on the planet.
This job got here after Emenalo’s sojourn at Chelsea Soccer Membership, London, England, the place he served first as assistant coach earlier than he grew to become technical director and chief of soccer operations.
As we speak, the USA 1994 World Cup star is among the most essential soccer individuals in Asia, and by implication, on the planet.
There’s Seyi Olofinjana, a former Tremendous Eagles midfielder, who’s now probably the most sought-after soccer workforce managers in Europe.
Olofinjana, who performed his membership soccer first with Kwara United earlier than transferring to Brann of Norway, from the place he transferred to Wolverhampton Wanderers, within the English Premier League, began his administration profession at Wolves, the place he was academy director, and Loans Pathway supervisor earlier than he moved to Swiss membership, Grasshoppers as sporting director.
A chemical engineering graduate of the Ladoke Akintola College, Ogbomoso, Olofinjana is now a marketing consultant to many soccer golf equipment and different sports activities administration outfits in Europe.
A former Commonwealth and African desk tennis champion, Atanda Musa, has for a few years been on the forefront of the game’s improvement in america. Aside from working with American youths within the desk tennis improvement program, Musa additionally tutored such famend personalities as Susan Sarandon, Drew Barrymore, and Nancy Pelosi, amongst others, within the sport.
In basketball, Nigeria’s Masai Ujiri is among the finest managers of the sport, main the Toronto Raptors to the NBA title in 2019.
The previous Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic official, who gained the NBA Government of the 12 months in 2013, aside from basketball, is among the most influential sports activities personalities on the planet.
The world over, there are numerous Nigerians in essential sports activities administration positions, although a few of them are recognized as residents of different nations.
Nevertheless, whereas they’re excelling in numerous capacities for different nations, sports activities administration of their nation of origin has been one of many impediments to the expansion of the sector.
Within the final 10 years, Nigerian sports activities have been deteriorating such that the positive aspects recorded within the Nineteen Eighties as much as the late Nineties and the potential of its massive youth inhabitants have been negated by poor administration.
Not too long ago, the nation returned from the Paris 2024 Olympic Video games with no medal when such African nations as South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Mozambique, Botswana, and Ethiopia gained a number of medals, together with quite a few gold medals, on the identical occasion.
Up to now, basketball, soccer, athletics, and boxing, amongst others, have been the core occasions that yielded medals for the nation at worldwide championships.
Boxing gave the nation its first medal on the Olympic Video games in Tokyo, in 1964, whereas the nation grew to become Africa’s first workforce to win the Olympic soccer gold medal, in 1996.
In dash and jumps, Nigeria was previously ranked among the many finest 4 nations alongside america, Britain, Jamaica, and Bahamas as much as 2004. However all that’s now up to now as a result of the management of the sector has didn’t construct on the inspiration laid by its predecessors.To right the scenario, stakeholders say that the Federal Authorities has quite a bit to do to place the sector on the appropriate path and make sure that such issues don’t occur once more.
They advocate a reform of sports activities administration by making certain a stage enjoying discipline for certified technocrats to hunt positions on the boards of assorted sports activities federations.
After taking a cursory take a look at the state of affairs, the Everlasting Secretary, Edo State Ministry of Sports activities, Dr Emma Igbinosa, mentioned that the issue lies with the Nigerian system, which doesn’t permit the most effective candidates to get into management positions.
In response to Igbinosa, the system is so skewed that just a few people have the chance to get to high administrative positions, which in impact hampers the event of the sports activities sector.
“They are saying that as you lay your mattress, so shall you lie on it. In virtually all nations of the world, you will note Nigerians excelling in numerous sectors of the financial system. Test in america and see what Nigerians are doing in science and know-how. After the Jews, Nigerians are the subsequent transferring drive in science and know-how in america.
“So, the issue just isn’t that we don’t have individuals with critical managerial skills, it’s simply that the system just isn’t supporting development.
“If our system doesn’t change, issues aren’t going to alter. Test the NBA in America, exterior Individuals and Canadians, the subsequent highest variety of gamers are Nigerians. Even in administration, now we have Imeh Udoka and Masai Ujiri doing very effectively. However for those who deliver them to Nigeria, they won’t excel due to the system.”
Till we alter the system to permit certified individuals to get into administration, our sports activities improvement efforts won’t yield the specified outcomes.”
A former Enyimba defender, Ifeanyi Okereke, mentioned sports activities administration in Nigeria is sort of a cult, which just a few persons are allowed to get into.
In response to Okereke, one needs to be “an insider” to have the ability to enter into soccer administration in Nigeria. “What I imply is that until you might be of their clique, you can not even be an FA chairman in your state, to not discuss of entering into the Nigeria Soccer Federation (NFF) board.
They function a top-to-bottom system, the place the NFF board members are returned each 4 years by a congress made up primarily of states’ FA chairmen. The re-elected NFF board members, in flip make sure that the FA chairmen are returned as compensation for that.
“It is just in Nigeria that elections don’t begin from the grassroots to the topmost positions.
The participant’s unions have been clamouring for a change, however the congress has refused as a result of any change within the system will have an effect on their existence.”
For a former Senior Particular Assistant to Lagos State Governor on Grassroots Sports activities Growth, Prince Wale Oladunjoye, the issue rocking the sector lies within the construction of the Nigerian sports activities administration.
He mentioned the nation did higher when the sector was administered by the defunct Nationwide Sports activities Fee (NSC) as in opposition to the sports activities ministry, which permits politicians to deal with purely technical issues.
“Nigeria was among the best 5 nations in world soccer after we certified for our first World Cup in 1994 by means of the Nationwide Sports activities Fee (NSC) with no sports activities ministry. On the Olympics two years later, we gained two gold medals as a result of we had a smaller Nationwide Sports activities Fee. I feel there’s a downside in having the ministry.
The president of the Nigerian Triathlon Union (NTU) mentioned there are numerous educated and well-travelled directors prepared to return in to serve the nation, sadly, the system permits for some individuals to perpetuate themselves in workplace even when they’re not in a position to do the job.
He mentioned: “We wish to get the place others are with out going by means of the rudiments. What now we have been doing that’s fallacious is that we don’t imagine that now we have to coach our most precious gamers throughout the sports activities by exposing them to top-flight coaching programmes that may make them able to take over from the present coaches.
“What now we have now’s that the present coaches do the whole lot to see that they continue to be in workplace even once they not have something to supply. They cease the extra educated youthful ones from coming to take over from them. It didn’t begin at present.
“I keep in mind after we organized to alter our nationwide volleyball coach as a result of he was ageing and couldn’t meet up with the tempo of the sport. We introduced in good coaches from the volleyball-playing states, however that train was truncated and we couldn’t make use of the coach we needed. It occurs like that in all the assorted sports activities.
“The systematic recycling of coaches is a part of the issue. This needs to be the fifth time that Cerezo, Austin Eguavoen, is within the Tremendous Eagles.
“I’m positive that lots of the different sports activities wouldn’t have genuine coaches. These different sports activities aren’t on the entrance burner as a result of persons are not taking a look at them. Take a look at what occurred to boxing on the Olympics, the place the coaches who educated the boxers to qualify for the Olympics have been eliminated for others who didn’t know the traits of the boxers. That’s the corruption within the system, however we should a have system that ensures that desired coaches are developed correctly for the job.”
One other problem that has been driving good directors away from Nigerian sports activities, based on Prince Olagundoye, is the way in which that Nigeria treats those that make sacrifices within the service of the nation.
“I felt so disillusioned someday in the past when our personal expensive ‘Chairman,’ Christian Chukwu, made a startling revelation that 19 years after serving the nation, he’s but to be paid his entitlements. Who will hear that and nonetheless wish to come to serve the nation?”
He mentioned one other downside that sports activities administration in Nigeria is going through is “our inferiority complicated in the case of using coaches. Take the way in which we handled Finidi George just lately. It might have been totally different if Finidi was a white man.
“After we performed in opposition to Algeria within the Nations Cup in 1990, they beat us 5-1, however we gave Clemens Westerhof an opportunity and he took us to the ultimate the place we misplaced although our real objective was disallowed. However we discarded Finidi after simply two video games. The coach they delivered to be Finidi’s boss was a no person when he was enjoying…We’ve got little or no regard for ours. See how all our stars in athletics, basketball, and different sports activities have been left to go away with out requisite recognition. It isn’t a curse to be a Nigerian? There’s something that’s undermining our directors. Why do overseas coaches run away from Nigeria after experiencing the way in which that we function? As soon as they see the way in which we’re, they run away.”
In response to Prince Oladunjoye, prior to now, boxing and athletics have been manned by top-quality directors that overshadowed soccer by way of reputation. These individuals ensured the event of those sports activities such that they grew to become enticing to sports activities lovers, he mentioned, including, “All these are gone as a result of now we have not paid consideration to coaches’ improvement.”
