Sports
Relocating NISports To Abuja, Needless – Ali
Former national long jump champion Yusuf Ali has criticised the proposed relocation of the National Institute of Sports (NISports), Lagos, to Abuja by the government, saying it is needless.
Ali, who made the assertion in Lagos at the weekend while reacting to the proposal, said the location of an educational institution did not matter but its course content and its products.
It will be recalled that the Minister of Sports, Taoheed Adedoja, had earlier this month outlined plans to relocate NISports to Abuja and convert its structure in Lagos to a hotel.
He said, however, that the government’s planned review of the institution’s course content to make it more viable was in the right direction.
He said the committee constituted by Adedoja for the review was unnecessary as the institution had a blueprint when it was established.
“The government should revert to the original blueprint of the institute rather than setting up a committee to review the course content.
“The efficiency of an institution has nothing to do with its location. Must every organisation be located in Abuja? Surely not!
“We have seen the negative effect of the incessant relocation of sports federations to Abuja. I need not inundate you with how it quickened the decline in our sports,” Ali said.
He said the institute’s potential had not been fully realised because it had deviated from its original vision.
He said that the training programmes at NISports should be upgraded and that emphasis should be on practical work rather than theory alone.
The 1990 Auckland Commonwealth long jump gold medalist called for the engagement of qualified coaches to improve on the quality of its course content and graduates.
“NISports is too theory-oriented in its programmes; the operators of the institute must endeavour to balance their training schedule to include practical work the way it is originally envisioned.
“Classroom work should run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., while practical work should commence from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“That was how the institute ran its training programmes in those days and practical work was paramount in the scheme of things,” he said.
Ali added that the lack of a succession plan after the departure of the erstwhile expatriate trainers led to the dearth of teaching personnel with the requisite expertise.
“What we have in place today leaves much to be desired as it is not befitting for an institution of NISports stature,” Ali said.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.