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Nigerian sports are on the brink of total collapse if immediate steps are not taken by all tiers of government to eliminate the influence of politics from the sector PeakNews Online reports.
According to Harrison Jalla, he pointed out that experts and concerned stakeholders are calling on federal, state, and local governments to focus on providing infrastructure, facilities, and funding while allowing technocrats, ex-internationals, and retired sports professionals to take the reins of sports administration in the country.
Over the past decade, entrenched corruption has plagued Nigerian sports, particularly within the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). The corruption has spread to other sports federations, with no consequences for those involved in corrupt practices. This has led to a decline in the quality of sports at all levels, including in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, where school sports have deteriorated.
Since the inception of the 4th Republic in 1999, the appointment of politicians as sports ministers at the federal level, and as sports commissioners at the state and local government levels, has contributed significantly to the decline of Nigerian sports. Retired sports professionals are now calling for a complete overhaul of the sports administration system. They insist that no minister, commissioner, or chairman without a background in sports should be appointed to oversee sports in Nigeria.
The current situation has led to frustration among Nigerian youths, particularly those from poor backgrounds who see sports as their only hope for a better future. The presence of corrupt politicians in Nigerian sports is stifling the talents and potential of these youths.
Despite President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s efforts to inject over 24 billion Naira into sports in less than 15 months for the AFCON and the 2024 Paris Olympics, there has been little to show for it. This amount is in addition to the normal annual budget allocated to the Ministry of Sports through the National Assembly.
There are growing concerns that, without urgent intervention, Nigerian sports could suffer the same fate as Nigeria Airways, the National Shipping Line, and the nation’s refineries and steel companies, all of which have fallen victim to poor governance.
In response to these challenges, retired sports professionals are rallying to form an advocacy group, ‘The Coalition of Nigeria Sports Men and Women’, with the primary objective of reforming the leadership and administrative structures of Nigerian sports at all levels of governance.
The group aims to change the narrative and ensure that sports in Nigeria are managed by those with the experience and passion needed to restore the sector to its former glory.
