{"id":3613,"date":"2024-07-17T19:50:37","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T18:50:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/?p=3613"},"modified":"2024-08-09T18:51:33","modified_gmt":"2024-08-09T17:51:33","slug":"how-a-minister-aborted-the-most-ambitious-grassroots-sports-development-program-in-nigerias-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/how-a-minister-aborted-the-most-ambitious-grassroots-sports-development-program-in-nigerias-history\/","title":{"rendered":"How a minister\u00a0aborted the most ambitious Grassroots Sports Development program in Nigeria\u2019s history.\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the eve of another Olympic Games, I invite the reader of this page to j<\/span><\/span>oin me\u00a0<\/span>and shed their own\u00a0<\/span><\/span>tears.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Believe it or not, when Dr. Ebele Goodluck Jonathan , GCFR, was President of Nigeria, he approved the establishment of a federal government committee with the singular mandate to revive academicals sports in the country. That means<\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0sports at\u00a0<\/span>the grassroots, at\u00a0<\/span><\/span>secondary schools level \u2013\u00a0<\/span>natural\u00a0<\/span><\/span>feeder to elite sports in the tertiary institutions, Local Governments, States and\u00a0<\/span>the national\u00a0<\/span><\/span>sports councils<\/span>\u00a0and associations<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The body was called \u201cNigeria Academicals Sports Committee\u201d, NASCOM.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports at the time, inaugurated the committee<\/span>\u00a0whose\u00a0<\/span><\/span>membership included several stake holders\u00a0<\/span>at the secondary\u00a0<\/span><\/span>schools sports\u00a0<\/span>level\u00a0<\/span><\/span>across the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

I believe that my\u00a0<\/span>background<\/span><\/span>\u00a0as a product of school sports, owner of the country\u2019s first multi-sports, co-educational secondary school, Chairman of the Governing Council of the country\u2019s only national sports institute, and an active participant in the organization of secondary school sports in the country at the time, earned me the appointment of Chairman.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The President<\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s mandate was simple – set\u00a0<\/span>up<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the machinery to revive participation in sports in every secondary school in the country. For most members of the committee, particularly those that were instrumental to establishing\u00a0<\/span>it,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>their vision\u00a0<\/span><\/span>was\u00a0<\/span>small –\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to organise a national football competition for secondary schools<\/span>, name it <\/span><\/span>after Mr. President and get all State governors to direct their ministries of sports and of education to participate<\/span>, have grand finale in Abuja and get Mr. President to attend.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It was good, but limited in the scope of what\u00a0<\/span>could be achieved additionally with an expansion of the vision.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

I saw it as an opportunity to catalyze the biggest grassroots sports development programme in Nigeria with multiple outcomes that will revolutionize sports<\/span>, take its outcomes<\/span><\/span>\u00a0beyond academicals level<\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0impact national youth engagement, youth empowerment,\u00a0<\/span>encourage\u00a0<\/span><\/span>enrollment into schools<\/span> (particularly in the Boko Haram ravaged North East at the time)<\/span><\/span>, document\u00a0<\/span>all\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Nigeria\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>athletes,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>create a seamless transition from secondary to tertiary and <\/span>to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>professional levels in sports, and so on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

After several months of consultations and conversations with the highest authorities\u00a0<\/span>in the country\u00a0<\/span><\/span>amongst the stakeholders to be involved in this project, and a\u00a0<\/span>draft\u00a0<\/span><\/span>document was scripted capturing the vision and all the details of strategy, funding, implementation, outcomes,\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>SWOT analysis, and so on, it was clear that the President\u2019s simple and single mandate<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>escalated<\/span>, becomes an exciting trip in<\/span><\/span>to uncharted new territories in sports development<\/span>\u00a0that will\u00a0<\/span><\/span>change in the lives of the youths<\/span>\u00a0for good<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

It was clear that for the project to succeed there needed to be a\u00a0<\/span>general\u00a0<\/span><\/span>clear understanding\u00a0<\/span>by\u00a0<\/span><\/span>everyone involved in the different parts, with clear roles and responsibilities, a cord connecting all the moving parts in the complex architecture<\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and a seamless relationship up the ladder of\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>production line from grassroots to the elite and professional ranks of sports<\/span>, areas\u00a0<\/span><\/span>that\u00a0<\/span>were<\/span><\/span>\u00a0outside the\u00a0<\/span>direct\u00a0<\/span><\/span>mandate of the Committee.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The weakest part of the project was the absence of legislation to give it\u00a0<\/span>teeth and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a permanent life.\u00a0<\/span>The <\/span><\/span>committee was ad-ho<\/span>c<\/span><\/span>\u00a0at best, to survive at the whims of any new Minister.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u2018Unfortunately\u2019 I\u00a0<\/span>was\u00a0<\/span><\/span>never<\/span>\u00a0a small<\/span><\/span>\u00a0dream<\/span>er.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0I saw beyond the\u00a0<\/span>superficial<\/span><\/span>\u00a0intentions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

With me as pilot, f<\/span><\/span>ollowing consultations and meetings, the committee came up with a master plan for deployment to strategic institutions and organizations in the country, without whose buy-in and participation the project would not take off from the tarmac.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

At different fora, I led the committee to meet with the Principals of all Federal\u00a0<\/span>G<\/span><\/span>overnment Secondary\u00a0<\/span>S<\/span><\/span>chools in the country; all State Ministries of Sports; all State Ministries of Education; Directors of Sports of all State Sports Councils<\/span>;<\/span><\/span>\u00a0all Local Governments Sports Councils; the Nigeria Governor\u2019s Forum; all Principals of all public and private Secondary schools in Nigeria; Directors of Sports of Tertiary institutions in Nigeria under NUGA for the Universities, NiPOGA for the Polytechnics, and NACEGA for the Colleges of Education; the committee of Vice-Chancellors of Universities; Heads of all military schools in Nigeria; the Directors of Sports in the States education ministries<\/span>;<\/span><\/span>, the leadership of the Nigeria School Sports federation, NSSF, that are direct supervisors of academicals sports in Nigeria<\/span>;<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and so on. They were all consulted, briefed and integrated into the grand plan\u00a0<\/span>that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>they\u00a0<\/span>readily\u00a0<\/span><\/span>embraced with relief that the President was involved!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The plan was to document all<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>students\u00a0<\/span>(and indirectly, all students)\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in all these institutions interested in participating in any one or more of different sports in their institutions. The documentation will include their full names, home address, date and place of birth, next of kin, institution, course of study, class, sport<\/span>s<\/span><\/span>, blood type,\u00a0<\/span>biometrics,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and any other information that may be found useful\u00a0<\/span>for<\/span><\/span>\u00a0proper documentation. This data\u00a0<\/span>will be\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0universally available and accessible to all the institutions in the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, each student athlete\u00a0<\/span>will be<\/span><\/span>\u00a0given a card (like an ATM card) that will serve\u00a0<\/span>several\u00a0<\/span><\/span>purposes<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>This card\u00a0<\/span>will be<\/span><\/span>\u00a0provided by a bank that partners with the Committee and houses all student sports levies\u00a0<\/span>and details from\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the over 18<\/span>0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Universities, 420 Polytechnics and\u00a0<\/span>hundreds\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Colleges of Technology, hundreds of Colleges of Education,\u00a0<\/span>tens of thousands of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Secondary schools<\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and so on<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Every institution readily bought into the grand scheme.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Funding was\u00a0<\/span>going to be\u00a0<\/span><\/span>simple and easy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond marketing, sponsorships and partnerships,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0every student in tertiary institutions\u00a0<\/span>would pay<\/span><\/span>\u00a0an annual sports levy<\/span>\u00a0as they have paid to date<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In secondary schools<\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>levies\u00a0<\/span><\/span>used to exist\u00a0<\/span>until they were\u00a0<\/span><\/span>cancelled as a result of abuse by school heads. With proper legislation\u00a0<\/span>they were to be\u00a0<\/span><\/span>revived and better monitored.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

I leave everyone to work out the math of the what those levies would amount\u00a0<\/span>to when\u00a0<\/span><\/span>domiciled in a partnering bank.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let me tell you.<\/span><\/p>\n

I approached only one bank with the proposal. The MD of one of the biggest banks in Nigeria today, listened to me<\/span>\u00a0in rapt attention until I\u00a0<\/span><\/span>finished my presentation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His response remains etched in my mind till this day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He told me that every<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>day of his life as\u00a0<\/span>MD<\/span><\/span>\u00a0he received\u00a0<\/span>tons<\/span><\/span>\u00a0of proposals from organizations\u00a0<\/span>and people,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>big and small. 90 % of them, he said, ended up in his dustbin. A small percentage attract<\/span>ed<\/span><\/span>\u00a0his attention and he sen<\/span>t <\/span><\/span>those ones to responsible subordinates for consideration.\u00a0<\/span>But there were a few<\/span><\/span>\u00a0that attract<\/span>ed<\/span><\/span>\u00a0his\u00a0<\/span>full\u00a0<\/span><\/span>attention<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

W<\/span><\/span>henever he encountered one of those ones, he knew i<\/span>nstantly.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>The proposal I brought to him was one of the best he had ever\u00a0<\/span>received.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>It was a winner. His bank would partner with NASCOM to\u00a0<\/span>actualise it<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>And to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>demonstrate the bank<\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s seriousness<\/span>\u00a0and commitment<\/span><\/span>, he invited one of his directors<\/span>\u00a0to join us, and instructed him to process and deliver\u00a0<\/span><\/span>one of the new cars the bank was using for promotions to the secretariat of NASCO<\/span>M <\/span><\/span>in Abuja for the project<\/span><\/span>!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

With<\/span>in<\/span><\/span>\u00a0a few days, a committee\u00a0<\/span>of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the bank\u00a0<\/span>had begun\u00a0<\/span><\/span>work<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>The bank\u2019s IT department creat<\/span>ed\u00a0<\/span><\/span>designs for the cards that were to\u00a0<\/span>serve<\/span><\/span>\u00a0as national student ID cards, Insurance\u00a0<\/span>cards to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>cover accidents and injuries during sports events,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>basic ATM cards<\/span>, registers e<\/span><\/span>very sports person within the\u00a0<\/span>project\u00a0<\/span><\/span>from secondary to any tertiary institution<\/span>\u00a0as\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a part of a welfare scheme\u00a0<\/span>that sustains through\u00a0<\/span><\/span>their sports careers and beyond!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

It was a project that was too good to be true<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>cruising along until close to the London Olympic Games in 2012.\u00a0<\/span>A\u00a0<\/span><\/span>new minister for Youth and Sports was appointed<\/span>. By<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the time he was returning from the Olympics,\u00a0<\/span>he had his own ideas and projects. Unimpressed with NASCOM,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>one of his\u00a0<\/span>first moves\u00a0<\/span><\/span>was to change the leadership\u00a0<\/span>and to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>install his choice of members<\/span>. The body died a natural death!\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0<\/span><\/span>one moment of\u00a0<\/span>\u2018ignorance\u2019 with the stroke of a pen, he<\/span><\/span>\u00a0aborted\u00a0<\/span>a heavily \u2018pregnant\u2019 project,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>one of the most ambitious grassroots sports development programs in Nigeria sports history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the eve of another Olympic Games, I invite the reader of this page to join me\u00a0and shed their own\u00a0tears.\u00a0 Believe it or not, when Dr. Ebele Goodluck Jonathan , GCFR, was President of Nigeria, he approved the establishment of a federal government committee with the singular mandate to revive academicals sports in the country.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-general"],"gutentor_comment":0,"yoast_head":"\nHow a minister\u00a0aborted the most ambitious Grassroots Sports Development program in Nigeria\u2019s history.\u00a0 - Mathematical 7<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/how-a-minister-aborted-the-most-ambitious-grassroots-sports-development-program-in-nigerias-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How a minister\u00a0aborted the most ambitious Grassroots Sports Development program in Nigeria\u2019s history.\u00a0 - 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