Sports
Minister Finds Solution To Football Crisis
Sports Minister Yusuf Suleiman has called for pragmatic solutions that would help to curb the incessant recurrence of crisis in Nigeria’s football.
While inaugurating the Ministerial Committee of Experts on the Reform of Nigerian Football, in Abuja, Monday, Suleiman said it was sad that efforts and time have been consumed by crisis in the sport.
“It was clear to me immediately on assumption of office that my first assignment should be to bring peace to the football family because a lot of efforts, time and resources have been consumed by the crisis,’’ he said.
The committee headed by a former chairman of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), retired Brig.-Gen. Dominic Oneya, has nine members and four resource persons.
The minister, who is also the chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), said there was need for peace in the football family in order to promote sustainable development.
“There is the need for peace in order to promote football, especially as we have all realised that those good resources and time could have been better utilised and we all know there is need for reforms too,’’ he said
Suleiman pointed out that sports administration in Nigeria had now reached a crucial point where it had to face the necessary challenges in a better way.
“We are at a crucial moment in our sports administration when we must face our challenges adequately, knowing that we have the capacity to deal with such challenges in view of our talents and resources.
“This is why this committee must complete this assignment very expeditiously and come out with pragmatic and achievable solutions that will help us end this crisis once and for all,’’ he said.
Responding on behalf of the committee, Oneya assured that the members would do a good job in order not to disappoint the nation.
“We know there is need for a peaceful atmosphere to prevail for our football to grow, and we will, in this line, not disappoint. We will deliver as expected and hope that there will not be any regrets thereafter,’’ he said.
Oneya commended the minister for his efforts in getting the warring parties to a roundtable, saying “we are grateful to the minister for hitting the ground running, just days after coming into office.
“This gives us an assurance that you are a Sports Minister we can count on for a sustainable development of sports in Nigeria,’’ he said.
The committee is expected to work between now and October 31, with six terms of reference, which include the revision of the NFA statutes.
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.