Nigeria Content Online

Last
week, I got permission from my friend and colleague Mumini Alao to
‘‘borrow’’ from him in order to espouse some of my thoughts for the
benefit of all.

Today I, have asked
permission from yet another great man, an all-round sportsman,
ex-Olympian, my senior at Holy Trinity Grammar School, Sabongidda-Ora
and my maternal uncle, Dr. Bruce Ijirigho. I have chosen to use Dr.
Ijirigho as subject of discourse in order to be able to drive home the
following points: One is that the school system, of which he is a
product and a shining one at that, is the best platform for sport
development if we are indeed looking for results and glory. Secondly,
that there are loads of positives in planning and executing sports
development programmes even if not entirely exclusive to schools.

Ijirigho and many
other examples abound. Thirdly, products of school system with some
level of education tend to respond to further plans and follow-up
activities for themselves and for the country’s benefits. This last
element is the kernel of my proposition today and it is why I am
charging the system to respond and create fresh hopes and opportunities
as we had and experienced through school boys/girls athletes in the
past. Dr. Bruce Ijirigho holds a Ph.d in Petroleum Geology. He has been
variously Lecturer and practitioner of his discipline in the United
States and Nigeria, and in fact had an eight year stint as lecturer in
Nigeria’s premier university, the University Of Ibadan.

Dr. Ijirigho was a
complete sportsman. He played Soccer, did the pole-vault and
particularly excelled in the 440 yards (now 400 meters) event. In 1971
as Captain, he led the Midwest (later Bendel) State and now Edo and
Delta states to the Hussey Shield Competition in Port-Harcourt, with
the State coming first in all but two events. The government of the day
led by Dr. S.O. Ogbemudia, then a Colonel, not only welcomed the heroes
and heroines of the day in great style but gave them Citations, one of
which I have the privilege of re-producing hereunder as evidence that
WE CAN if we try:

The Citation

Getting the
talents at a young age I want to restate a fact here that everyone of
the twenty-eight athletes listed represented this country at senior
level,

Ijirigho, Charlton,
Ehizuelen, Harrison Salami, Godwin Obasogie were Olympic finalists.
Their female counterparts who were at the Port-Harcourt Games for the
Lady Manuwa Cup were: Evelyn Urhobo, and Vivian Emenahor, who were also
great winners.

Dr. Bruce Ijirigho
is currently Sports Consultant to the Cross River State Government. The
moral here is that there is too much lip service being paid to sports
development in Nigeria. Too much money spent doing nothing and
achieving nothing. We have sought recourse in the use of over-age
players because preparations for events and global competitions are
inadequate. There is also an over-reliance on genuine talents, Mary
Onyeali-Omagbemi and Falilat Ogunkoya seemed to run and run forever for
us because new legs were not coming through. Today’s Nigerian sports
administrator has failed to see there is a limit to which just talent
can give. To achieve and consistently achieve success you must add
planning and organization to talent. Denial of this is to promote
mediocrity.

And with the
Federal Ministry and States Ministries of Education always very ready
to give approvals for the establishment of schools in four flats
buildings and boys’ quarters, the search for talented sportsmen from
schools is always going to be a dream deferred. Before now when you
visit a Missionary school or Government schools, the first thing you
see is the football ground complete with tracks. Today it’s the
Bursar’s office you see first at school gates. Such educational
institutions are not going to produce sports men and women especially
the ones from fully air-conditioned homes, driven in air-conditioned
cars to schools without play grounds.

Sports development must come through the school system to eradicate cheating and throw up quality sports men and women.

Dr. Ijirigho and
his type abound everywhere. We just need to rebuild the structures and
school systems that caught them strong again.

Until next week folks, have a wonderful week.