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Sports: Still A Long Way To Greatness
Sports has become more than a recreational and entertainment activity across the world. It has indeed, transformed into a powerful tool for most countries to forge and achieve many national goals, be it political, economic, social or national integration.
Nigeria by all standard, ought to be one of the best sporting nations of the world considering the physiological endowment of her people, the large human capital and apparent abundance of internationally acclaimed administrators and economic opportunities at her disposal.
However, despite the front-row standing of sports in the reckoning of most Nigerians and the fact that it has, over the years acted as one of the strongest unifying factors obtainable in the country, the sector seems not to have made the level of progress expected of it.
In fact, sports, generally, has flattered to deceive more often than not and at the best of times flourished in sparks and sports.
Sixty years down the line, sports in the country can hardly be classified neither as a massive success nor a monumental failure.
Most stakeholders are of the opinion that the country, as the self acclaimed giant of Africa, should have by now became the beacon and leading sporting nation in the continent, as well as a serious contender for laurels at every international meet.
Unfortunately, despite taking part in the Olympic Games since 1952, eight years before independence and having been part of the world’s greatest sports rendezvous 17 times, the country can only boast of a mere 25 medals, three gold, 10 silver and 12 bronze medals, a haul some smaller and less endowed countries have been harvesting in one or two outings.
The record and the country’s inability to have made it beyond the Second Round of the FIFA World Cup underlines her failure to harness the enormous human capital to compete successfully among the comity of nations.
As the country marks her 60 years of independence and reminisces over her tortuous journey since 1960, it is pertinent to note that though she has not lived up to her potentials yet in sports, the sector still remains one of the country‘s most potent agents of unity, a serious diplomatic tool and an elixir for the citizenry in their daily efforts to escape the trauma and challenges of life.
In the Dream Team to the Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games, the Golden Eaglets, Police Woman Chioma Ajunwa, Emmanuel Ifeajuna, who while still a student gave Nigeria her first Commonwealth. Games medal in high jump in 1954, Hogan ‘Kid’ Bassey, who emerged World Featherweight Boxing Champion in 1957, Dick Tiger Ihetu, who won the middle Weight title and later moved up to become the World Light Heavyweight Champion, as well as Michael Okpala (Power Mike), Nigeria has had some athletes and teams, who had at different times ruled the world.
Also, the country, in late Orok Oyo, Habu Gumel, Amos Adamu, Sani Ndanusa, Violet Nwajei-Odogwu, Awoture Eleaye, Late Abraham Ordia, Late Patrick Okpomo, Solomon Ogba, Amaju Pinnick among others, has produced sports administrators that made international impact.
Apart from athletes and administrators that have impacted the world of sports in the past 60 years of nationhood, Nigeria has hosted key continental and global sports competitions. These include the All Africa Games which has been hosted twice in 1973 in Lagos and 2003 in Abuja, African Cup of Nations, twice, in 1980 and 2000, while the country has also played host to the African Women Nations Cup thrice, in 1998, 2002 and 2006.
Nigeria has also hosted FIFA World Cup events twice when in 1999 she staged the FIFA U-20 World Cup, popularly called Nigeria ‘ 99 and the FIFA U-17 World Cup 10 years later in 2009.
The period between the 1980s and 1990s could be referred to as the golden era for Nigeria. This was when the top 10 in sprints and middle distance races would not be mentioned in Africa and globally without at least three to four Nigerians being in the line up. It was also a time when the country broke its duck and won the African Cup of Nations for the first time, after hosting the Championship in 1980.
The era threw up iconic stars across different sporting fields such as Mary Onyali, Falilat Ogunkoya, Tina Iheagwam, Chioma Ajunwa, Chidi Imo, Innocent Egbunike, Yusuf Alli, Henry Amike, Adeniken Olapade, the Ezinwa brothers (Davinson and Osmond) Beatrice Utondu, Mary Tombiri, Oluchi Ogwo, Christy Opara-Thompson, Moses Ugbesien, Fatima Yusuf and Olusoji Fasugba.
Others include, Peter Konyegwachie, Ikpoto Eseme, Ironbar Bassey, Brown Ebewele, Gabriel Okon, Segun Toriola, Funke Oshonaike, Bose Kaffo, Hakeem Olajuwon, Atanda Musa, Nduka Odizor, David Imonite and a plethora of football stars.
In football, the country has made more in roads than others fields. After wining the African Cup of Nations in 1980, it qualified for the final of a FIFA world tournament for the first time in 1983 when the national U-20 team qualified for the Youth World Cup in Mexico.
The Flying Eagles beat Russia, drew with Holland and lost 0-3 to Brazil to fail to advance from the Group stage.
Two years later, Nigeria made it to the maiden FIFA U-17 Kodak tournament in China. The cadet team under the tutelage of coach Sebastian Brodericks Imasuen stunned the world as they stormed to the title in grand style.
To be continued
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.