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For Nigeria to make
progress in international sports tournaments there must be an
articulated sports programme that works through major international
events like the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, All Africa Games and
the major championships like World Cups for the various sports.

Physical education in schools

The beginning of
any success has to start from the grassroots but right now there is a
shortage of qualified Physical education instructors from primary to
our tertiary institutions. The solution could be pursuance of
short-term courses for volunteers as physical education trainers to be
conducted by the “real” physical education instructors that would be
employed by each of the 774 Local Government Areas in the country.

In the long run,
the problem will be solved through massive training of physical
education instructors. As an incentive, government should make the
study of Physical and Health Education free, with the graduates made to
serve for two years, instead of one year for their National Youth
Service Corps scheme. In the second year of their service, they would
be paid salaries, though it is the Government that will still determine
where in Nigeria they would serve.

Preparing for global tourneys

The Olympics – held
every four years, it falls in the year after the All Africa Games, and
two years after the Commonwealth Games. The links are important. The
Commonwealth Games can be used as the mid-way milestone for measuring
Nigeria’s preparations for the Olympics, especially in the sports where
Commonwealth countries are strong like athletics, boxing, wrestling,
weightlifting, judo, karate and swimming.

All Africa Games,
held a year after the Commonwealth Games, and a year to the Olympics,
has assumed a new importance as it serves as the qualifiers for some
Olympic events including boxing, judo, karate, wrestling and
weightlifting.

Commonwealth Games
– held two years to the Olympics, has some of the most powerful sports
nations like Australia, Britain (though fragmented into Scotland,
Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man etc), Canada, India,
South Africa, Kenya, and New Zealand participating.

Nigeria is in a
unique position to benefit from these competitions, if it draws up a
schedule of funding and training that links them, such that
preparations for the Olympics, lead to the next Commonwealth Games and
then to the All Africa Games, and the circle continues.

This schedule must
also reconfigure the place of many international championships as
qualifiers for the major competitions. The current practice of
depending on budgetary allocations that are available sometimes as the
teams are boarding their flights, cannot prepare our teams well.

A thorough
preparation will include proper medical, nutritional and technical
facilities, in addition to scheduled welfare packages, training and
competition tours, and an excellent performance centre that would
provide research support for our teams.

Federal government resolve is needed

These views on
sports development if used will lead to professionalism in sports in
the country. The cost is so negligible, compared to the impact that it
will make on our society and we believe that if the government is
sincere about developing sports, it should adopt a concerted programme
that ties in all the parts and with any other amendments will enhance
its workings.

It is also believed
that it is the duty of all to look at the ways various adaptation of
this programme can work in the various states in the country. If for
any reason the federal government decides to spend its money on “more
important things”, the states working with their local government
councils can adapt this programme to their own resources.

When we start from
re-constructing the decayed base of our sports, we can then move on to
proper professional sports. Any other attempt will be dumping further
weight on the fragile tip our sports pyramid is standing on. The result
will be chaos, worse than the ones we have known.

Professional sports
thrive on mass entry (at the base) and drops of excellence at the top
(from filtering). Without broad participation at the base, we cannot
attain the professionalism that comes from competition, better ideas
and proper sponsorships that are enduring and benefits sports and
sponsors.

We can attain excellence in professional sports, if we are sincere
and have the political will to note that sports, professionally
managed, can provide solutions to many of Nigeria’s problems.