Sports
Tinubu Urged To Tap Sports Goldmine
Former World Boxing Federation Cruiserweight Champion, Bashiru Lawrence Ali, aka Bash Ali, has stressed the need for PresidentBola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to finance initiatives to drive sports development in the country.
Stressing the importance of sports to the economic growth of any nation, Bash Ali, also called on the new administration to create an enabling environment for sports to thrive in the country.
He, therefore, explained that by doing this, the country is bound to enjoy massive revenue generation as seen in the oil and gas sector.
Bash Ali stated this when he addressed Journalists at the sideline of the 6th edition Football Nigeria Pageant 2023/ Nigerian Ambassador Soccer Award, organised by Miss Football Nigeria Organisation, MFNO, in Abuja last weekend.
However, during the event, Lilian Peter Weibey, age 25, was crowned as the winner Queen Miss Football Nigeria; Adewumi Oluwanifemi Mercy, age 21, was the first runner up Face of Nigeria Football while Thomas Blessing, age 21 was the 2nd Runner up Miss Super Falcons.
Speaking on sports development in Nigeria and the need to engage the girl-child, Bash Ali, said: “Developmental sporting initiative from the Federal Government in this administration is dead like every other thing in Nigeria is dead. No sector is truly working. But, I think with the new incoming president, I think there’s going to be a rethink and reorganization, and things will begin to become better because I have always said that every Nigerian athlete is a potential world champion. But the problem is do you have the enabling environment to excel. But this new administration will provide that enabling environment.
“I have met the President three times before he became the president-elect and two more times, and I’ve told him that sport was one of the biggest industries in the world and if well organised in Nigeria, we’ll be able to compete with NNPC. As NNPC brings in money, sports will bring in money and he agrees with me.”
Also speaking, one of the awardees and features editor, Leadership Newspapers, Tunde Oguntola, tasked journalists on putting out reports that would firelight development in the sports sector, particularly as it relates to the girl-child.
He, therefore, called for intensive training for coaches, as part of efforts to ensure that they are in line with current realities in the sports world.
“Sports is a game changer. Sports can elevate someone different from the rural area and not just the urban area but to the limelight of the person’s career in as much as he/she can defend himself/herself. We can see where the likes of Asisat Oshoala and Tobi Amusan at today because of sports. So, sports is indeed a game changer and I will urge journalists to as well give special coverage to sports development in Nigeria.
“There is a need for training and retraining for all coaches in Nigeria. Coaches in Nigeria need to be retrained. A situation whereby there should be symposiums, seminars, and workshops are organised for coaches to increase their inherent skills. You see, when you engage them critically, it builds their horizon and make them compete favourably on the global stage.”
President of Miss Football Nigeria Organization, Amb Moses Maro Ebahor, stressed promoting women’s participation in sports.
Ebahor also stressed the need to redefine Nigeria’s football to inculcate morals and values.
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.