Ukah Makes Case For Hockey

President of Nigeria Hockey Federation, NHF, Patrick Ukah has bemoaned the state of the sport in the country, stressing that the it needs the support of the corporate bodies to develop.

Ukah, who represented Nigeria at different international hockey competitions during his active days, said that it is worrisome that hockey, which  enjoyed huge followership during his childhood, is nothing to write home about now.

Ukah is worried that attempts by the present board of the federation to popularise the sport has suffered setbacks.

The Head, Marketing Commission of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, said despite being a marketer, he finds it hard to market hockey in Nigeria, saying: “It is not easy marketing hockey, I have friends out there but whenever I tell them about hockey, they just turn their back and say talk about another sport. So, it has not been easy”.

He also took a swipe at the sporting media for not doing enough in their reportage of hockey as a sport in Nigeria, adding: “I must say this, the media is not helping us, we have recorded some feats this year but the media has not done enough in reporting our success. It is not good for the development of the sport in the country”.

On Nigeria’s inability to demystify South Africa, who are the super powers in hockey on the African continent, he said it would be a herculean task for Nigeria to wrestle power from South Africa, because they have all their players plying their trades outside of Africa unlike that of Nigeria, where the players are based in Nigeria.

—Adebobola  Alawode