3rd October, 2014
Taiwo Adelu
The state of sports in the country as Nigeria clocked 54 has been a source of worry to stakeholders most especially the veterans who have seen it all in the past few years.
One of such veterans is Prince Isidore Oduah, former board member of Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, who told P.M.NEWS Sports that there is nothing to celebrate in Nigerian sports if after 54 years, the country has yet to get it right in administration. He said that the most worse hit is football which has been a source of unity among Nigeria and the most sorts after game which government has been spending so much without any significant development to show for the expenditure.
“The problem in Nigerian football lies in our administrators who I see as hustlers that are only looking for money to enrich themselves. They don’t have the interest of the game in their heart and because there is so much money in it, they fall over themselves with desperation to come on board. It is so sad that after these years, we do not have sincere people to run our football,” said Prince Oduah, the Executive Chairman of Red Carpet Advertising, a Lagos-based upwardly mobile agency.
Prince Oduah recalled the immense contribution of the late President of the Nigerian Olympic Committee from 1967 to 1976, Retired Major General Henry Edmund Olufemi Adefope to sports development in Nigeria. “Henry Adefope of the blessed memory came out with the idea of every state in the country having a Sports Council which will comprise people who are experience in sports and professionals to the core. The chairman of every state’s Sports Council would be an automatic member of the board of National Sports Commission at the federal level. I think this is a very good idea of what we should have as a structure for the management of our sports.
“But it is so sad that today, we have a National Sports Commission headed by a Minister who is a political appointee who is at the helm to manage our sports at the mercy of civil servants. If only we can have a sports commission with a board which consists of professionals who will be around to guide the Minister professionally. It is unfortunate that we have had people in charge of sports development in the sports ministry in Abuja that did not develop our sports but their pockets.
“I served in Lagos and Anambra States; I knew what I was able to do as my contributions to uplift football in those states and also the NFA as a board member where the board then was in place to serve but not to milk this country as it is today. I was also in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN.
“The problem of corruption is another thing destroying sports and most especially football in Nigeria. I think over the years, FIFA has no confidence in our local referees for them to be given chance to officiate in any of its World Cups. This is so bad because of corruption,” he said.
He noted that the choice of Mr. Amaju Pinnick as the new President of the NFF is good because the Delta State man is the best among the contenders vying for the Presidency of the football house.
“Though Amaju is rude and outspoken, I still give it to him as the best among the contenders during the election in Warri. We can all see what Delta State is doing in sports. He has done a lot to change the face of sports in Delta. I think he would do the right things at the NFF,” he said.