Towards professional sports in Nigeria

Towards professional sports in Nigeria

By Clem Oluwole

The Military Governor of Oyo State, Col. David Jemibewon while officially declaring open the 6th All-Nigerian Universities Games in Ibadan last Friday announced the intention of the Federal Military Government to introduce professionalism into sports.

To this end, a sum of N98.2 million has been earmarked for the implementation of the programmes which will span half of a decade with initial emphasis on association football and lawn tennis. To be precise, the implementation will be carried out within the context of the current Five-Year Development Plan.

This policy, according to Col. Jemibewon, is being taken because the Federal Government is very conscious of the importance of sports these days especially in international politics.

The Federal Military Government’s intention is indeed a commendable one. The idea of professional sport was first conceived by the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) in May, 1974, apparently as the only new way left to bring up the standard of association football to the international mark.

A committee headed by a High Court Judge, Mr. Justice Ademola Adeoba, himself a football enthusiast, was set up to look into the idea. The idea was, however, abandoned by the NFA for undisclosed reasons.

But now that the Federal Government has boldly waded into the issue, this column is of the opinion that the government should invite memoranda from the public.

Considering the magnitude of the exercise, the Federal Government must have made some down-to-earth assessment before arriving at the N98.2 million.

Although the government is yet to back its intention with a policy statement, it will not be out of place to advance some suggestions which I consider very useful:

· An inexhaustible supply of sports equipment directly from the manufacturers.

· Establishment of effective and clear-cut calendar so that various sports using the same facilities do not clash with one another.

· Up-to-date, secure and moderate venues to be constructed in every state capital each provided with sufficient seating accommodation, groundsmen, modern facilities, et cetera.

· Adequate, trained and dedicated coaches.

· Disciplined and graded match officials.

· Well polished clubs whose officials are alive to the rules of the sports.

· Efficient means of communication, good transport system – by rail, air and road.

All in all, the idea of professionalism demands careful planning. For, until Governor Jemibewon dropped the hint last week, nobody, to the best of my knowledge, has ever spoken of such an idea as embodied in the current Development Plan, which took off in April, 1975.

There isn’t much to be said now until the implementation programmes are made known.

We are waiting.

(Culled from Saturday Commentary, first published on March 27, 1976)