4th August, 2014
Taiwo Adelu
For Team Nigeria to perform very well in the next Commonwealth Games and other international championships, it has been suggested that the country’s sports authorities should ensure development of talents from the grassroots.
This advice was given by Prince ‘Wale Oladunjoye, Principal Senior Special Assistant on Grassroots Sports Development to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, who was in Glasgow, Scotland to watch proceedings of the just concluded Commonwealth Games.
Prince Oladunjoye told P.M.NEWS Sports in an online interview at the weekend that he commended Nigerian athletes who had to compete under extreme cold weather in Glasgow.
“There was cold and windy most times except in the afternoon that’s a bit warm, which is not comfortable for optimum sports performance as said by Golden Blessing Okagbare in an interview on BBC TV after her 200m race victory,” he said.
Oladunjoye posited that despite the fact that raw talent abound in the country, Nigeria has not really tapped into the talent. “Team Nigeria will always be respected at any international event due to the fact that raw talents abound in our nation.
“For us to be a force to reckon with in international tournament like the Commonwealth Games, I have been saying in the last 20 years that we must endeavour to do things right by going back to the grassroots. We must provide functional minimal sporting facilities at all local councils for mass participation in sports by the federal government as the government’s seed funding support for our young and old people not only for quicker sourcing of talent, but for their health.
“Sourcing of talents but the healthy benefits inherent when we all engage in at least twice weekly sports and games activities. I think the Ministry of Sport should as a matter of urgency presents to the federal executive council a proposal for synergy of Ministry of Education and that of Sports Ministry for emphasis on daily period of Physical Education in our schools with practicals as last period on Friday from the Junior Secondary Schools, JSS 1 to Senior Secondary School, SSS 3 for the students to know the rules and regulations as well as having contact with sports materials and equipment in their early ages. I want to emphasise here that the teaching of Physical Education should be undertaken by graduates at the JSS1 level. This will enable these young ones to develop quickly and compete favourably with their peers anywhere in the world. There is no doubt that if this is done, we will have fantastic and rapid results,” he said.
Speaking on the drug case of teenage weightlifter, Chika Amakaha, Prince Oladunjoye, who is the Tournament Director of the annual Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship, said that “the young lady deserves our sympathy and support. She should be counseled on the need to be clean in sports at all times and not embarrass herself and this great nation in the future. Her handlers should also be investigated internally by the National Sports Commission, NSC, to get rid of this in weightlifting.”