How we miss the script

For most Nigerians, wherever football is the issue, they become enchanted. Football invokes incomparable passion amongst Nigerians. It seems to be the only “thread” that binds Nigerians together as a nation and breaks down all forms of socio-political, religious, economic and geographical barriers in this great country - Nigeria.

This country is blessed with about 50 million youngsters: children, teenagers and youth, all under the age of 17, who have been naturally endowed by God with massive potentials to rule the world of football.

Lack proper academy

While youngsters in some African, European, North and South American and Asian countries, are being specially empowered in core football and life skills from age five, encouraged to excel academically and morally, while they are also introduced to developmental techniques and scientific values -central to the beautiful game of football, it is interesting to note that the Federal, State and Local governments in this country have not put any such structure in place anywhere inNigeria. What a great travesty! Thanks to the few academies now trying to do this.

Not “academies” handled by “coachitoes” and “coachilas.” By academies, we mean football schools like those known as Escolihas in Brazil or High Performance Schools in Jamaica and some European countries or the Precision Schools

in Pretoria, South Africa.

These are football schools (academies) where football cadets are equipped with technical excellence with the ball, tactical awareness, decision-making, physical abilities and psychological know-how, to achieve their maximum potentials. Training in such schools is functionally dynamic, scientific and fun-packed.

Attitude of officials

Everything is done without threats. You don’t see coaches wielding canes like the headmaster in my village school. Children don’t receive knocks on their heads or get verbally abused for mistakes made.

Football, for instance, as the most popular sport in the world, has a universal language that can bridge divides; promote core values for lasting peace. On the pitch, cultural differences and political agendas dissolve, as football is a powerful tool to release tension and generate dialogue.

In times ofconflict, post-conflict and political upheavals, football can provide the society with a huge sense of hope and normality. Football has been used and is still being used to teach traumatized individuals to overcome pain, fear and loss. What is more, the beautiful game can heal emotional scars, creating a safe environment that enables children, adolescents and adults to express their feelings and build self-esteem.

People -young and old, rich and poor, male and female, literate and illiterate, who play football, learn, appreciate and respect the truth that interaction is possible without any coercion or exploitation. They interact within the framework of rules, based on fairness and justice.

Nigerian situation Unfortunately however, this has not been so in Nigeria, because sports, over the years in this great Nation, has witnessed a decline akin to a systemic failure, following the near collapse of the infrastructure that once made Nigeria a force within the African continent and the Commonwealth.

Many of our facilities which were once envied by the entire continent are dilapidated and major sporting events which in the past offered opportunities for showcasing young talents are disappearing, (some have disappeared completely or become irrelevant), leaving little incentive for budding athletes to work at developing their talents. The implication is that the pool is gradually drying up.

Nigeria and age grade competitions

In the past, Nigeria got some respect within the international sporting community, participating regularly in every competition of note and giving a very fair account of itself in these competitions, especially at the age-grade levels. Nigeria’s glorious past was the result of a broad base sports development programme, which was the product of a sound administration which recognized that excellence was a function of early identification of talent, supported by relevant training and consistent competition. Not age falsification.

So what went wrong?

The end of the boarding house systems around 1979, which in turn contributed to the near-collapse of the inter-schools sports systems: Disappearance of Physical Education (PE) -which was the bedrock of sports development programmes all over the world from the curriculum of schools in Nigeria: The Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) of 1986, which refocused government spending towards “priority areas”, of which sports was unfortunately not one.

Another travesty: Unsound sports policies such as the dissolution of the National Sports Commission. The unnecessary centralization of sports development policy and the appointment of top sports administrators via political patronage and not by requisite qualification.