Phew.... 2011 has come and gone.....Taking stock of Nigeria's sporting fortunes

Calendars are a great invention. They not only physically remind you of the events and happenings in the space of time.  We are inundated with keeping tabs of the various activities in our personal and professional lives that it is almost impossible to keep track of the happenings and goings-on that have past and may have had an effective on our lives in the past 365 days.

Nigeria, has never had a rather lacklustre performance in sports, as it did in 2011.  From January to December, there were very few high points of note.  Not that the country didn't have the opportunity to excel, it did, but just couldn't convert those opportunities to real successes.   Some have said, the sporting year is reflective of the general position and situation of the country.  I am slightly beginning to be inclined to agree.

2011, as a sporting year, started out as a year of opportunity, promise and potential.  The country was primed to be heading to the olympics, had more teams in CAF championships than ever before, was primed to go the Nations cup, and was rebuilding it national team with an exciting approach by Samson Siasia.

The promise of redefining the course of football administration seemed possible and very close.  Mr. President even excited us, by aligning a focus in sports as being a key vehicle to Job Creation in Nigeria. The Job Creation Summit of April 2011, outlined that sports was a key catalyst in charting a course towards an redefined economic development plan.  The summit outlined the key steps and components required to make this happen, and we were all excited.  We even dragged Messers Paul Bassey, Ikedi Iziguzo, Aisha Falode, Jide Fashikun, Drs. Akinwunmi and Ndidi Edozien and a host of other well meaning Nigerians to draft a road map in support of Mr. President's vision.

And there were many other "promising" instances that offered the need opportunities required to achieve sporting success that presented themselves to Nigerians and Nigeria during the course of the year.  Unfortunately, we did not make the best use of them, and we had a less than desirable year, for many of our sportsmen and women, teams and as a Nation.

As one great philosopher puts it "the best thing about been in the eye of the storm is, the expectations are consistent, its is a devilish pelting of hale, rain, fire and death, if you keep moving, expect it to end, but the question is, what do you do once you emerge from it"??

A year in review of our National sporting life will reveal that this is an opportunity for us to be expectant.  To be very motivated to reform and take advantage of this unique timing, to redesign our approach and management of one "underutilized and under-served" area of Nigeria's enormous human capital base.

Mr. President is well advised that sports is one key sector that can support the transformation of Nigeria as an economic powerhouse if managed properly.  He is also counselled to apply the same focus as is been dedicated to oil and gas, telecommunications, extractive and mineral exploration and the banking services sectors.  It is also important to note that sports is at the heart of what makes us, Nigerians.  A unifying and binding factor that allows for a level playing field in the resolution of the current social upheaval that the country is currently encountering.

The Hawks in the corridors of Aso Villa, know and understand this much, but they also understand that the sporting sector demands huge reforms and investments, plus a lot of structural and procedural changes to get the accrued benefits that lie in the development of a roadmap toward economic sustainability through sports.  The Ogbemudia, Innih and Omeruah formulas must be revived, updated and realigned to today's 21st Century economic and human capital requirements.

Question:  If the Cattle Hides from KANO can find their way into the ADDIDAS JABULANI Footballs made in Pakistan/Germany, where does Nigeria benefit from it??? and how can we systematically create an industry in conjunction with ADDIDAS, NIKE, PUMA and other original sporting equipment manufacturers to benefit our people???

Question:  If 10 Million Nigerians pay an average of 9000 Naira monthly to watch European soccer/football for 10 months a year, what percentage of revenue accrued by MNET and other terrestrial satellite providers is translated into economic dividend.  MNET has less than 500 hundred Nigerians working for it.  

Question:  If Ariaria, Onitsha, Isolo and Kaduna clothing manufacturing and production clusters are making almost paralyzed due to cheap imports, how can government make this cluster be a true employer of labour??  I remember in the 1980s, textile industries in these clusters employed over 500,000 people.  And created over 3000 SME supply companies, which delivered cotton, dyes, and related equipments.  It is evident that the answers cannot be found in the current "get rich quick/go no where schemes" that are currently being proposed and put at play..  We Nigerians know the answers to getting these industries to work.  And please, dont lay the blame on the power sector as the panacea of the challenges...... Mr. President has to have a sincere and honest approach to make this work.    If he is serious about this country's transformation.  Production of sporting apparels and its related casual and fit for purpose wears are one key area.... Nigeria should be the sporting tailor and garment maker of the world......

Question:  What is so hard in getting Nigerians to watch our local sporting leagues.   As a kid, I remember watching countless matches at Onikan, Teslim Balogun, National Stadium, Liberty stadium (Ibadan),  I watched Eddie Ndukwu, Obisia and Davidson Andeh box.   I watched Nduka Odizor at a Davis cup match, I also saw Nigeria play Egypt in Handball.   I supported my school, Ansar-ud-Deen Grammar School (Nigeria's premier Cricket Academy) play at the Onikan Oval, and it was full to capacity.  Why is it so difficult to set a course to ensure that we get economic benefit from something so easy to organise, finance and maintain..... Sporting events management has become a driver for many European countries economic development.  On any given weekend, you will find over 20 Million people worldwide actively engaged in the management of a sporting activity with economic benefit to its investors.  Why cant we reform and position Nigeria to take advantage of what comes easy to us???? We love sports, and participate in it passionately, why cant our government provide the much needed enabling environment for companies to engage, invest, and employ Nigerians in this sector???

2012 is a dangerous year for Nigerian sports.  It is the year that will define whether we resurrect like the proverbial PHOENIX or be buried like the dinosaurs........

My predictions:

1. I don't think Steven Keshi will succeed in getting us to the Nations cup/world cup (CAVEAT), if the current board, players and  structures are not improved.   The FA secretariat must be overhauled, especially the technical department.  A technical director is required, but one that has a plan for Nigerian National Teams.   The intelligence and proper structure needed to run a football federation's technical department is currently missing.   Steven has to have the balls to call the bluff of the boys that plotted the downfall of Siasia, they are still there, and will do same for him should he try to instil any form of discipline counter to their whims.
2. Ex-footballers dont always make good coaches, administrators and advisers.  A word is enough for the wise on that one.  Mr. President, please take note, and rid our administration of "Jabi, Asokoro and Maitama" godfathers..
3. What's in a name.  NFF/NFA, this issue has to be resolved once and for all.  It is dragging our sports down.  If this issue persists till April 2012, Nigeria will be doomed in all its football engagements (no hocus pocus, but real facts and stats).
4. Mr. President should try not to play politics with the appointment of the Minister and (God please hear my prayers) redeployment of the Perm Sec/DG of the NSC. Ex-internationals, sports broadcasters and board members dont make good administrators  (Oga, please get us someone like Fikile Mbalula or a Danny Jordan).  Someone passionate, knowledgable, Not a hungryman, or an opportunist/novice. Please God let my prayers be answered (I will quit smoking cigarettes if this happens, I swear) fingers crossed
5. Mr. President, Job Creation through sports is real.  2012 is the time to do it.  Ask Ndidi Edozien to head a team of sporting gurus (mentioned above) to drive the true infusion of sports as a catalyst to economic transformation, and target 500,000 people in 2012
6. Mr. Maigari implement a roadmap and football reforms project.
7. Mr. Minister, you are not an arbitrator for football only.  Focus on Boxing, Athletics, Taekwando, Weightlifting and other sports that are dying and need instant revival.  Reconstitute their boards, get all the self sponsoring and self serving ogas off the boards and chart a course for 2016 Brazil 
8. Dissolve the board of the NPL.  Reform the statures and lets start from scratch, it might sound crazy but that is the only way that this can work.  Make the State Governors (the true owners of the clubs) responsible for the composition of the boards.  Increase the amount to be paid for registration to at least 100 Million Naira per season, lets see how many clubs will remain in the league then...... 

It is important to see 2011 as a year where the status quo miserable failed to deliver.  We have to look at it as a time that doing the same things and expecting different results did not work.  We have to look at the year and understand that we needed to have applied hard work to sports and not lip service (aka Oneya reform reports).  It was a year in which we, as a country, promised, and lied to ourselves, and FAILED to deliver on our own promises.

It was a year, in which the permutations of politicians, advisers and other "so called Stakeholders" failed the country miserably and almost took us to the brink of sporting extinction.  It was a year in with experimental appointments failed, at all levels of the sector.  It was just simply, a bad year.

Other countries have been here, and have charted a course to reforms and developed and blossoms once they saw their plan through.  Jamaica is one (how can a country of 3 Million people, produce 11 world records in athletics in the last 5 years),  Germany (overcoming the East German saga, and integration of the athletes, officials, protocols and processes into one unified country program), Russia, South Africa, Argentina, Ghana, England, The USA (currently reassessing its athletics and Olympic development programs), China and Japan (focus and utilization of a amateur team program to win the women's world cup).

Nigeria, is standing at the door of success.  It take visionary, ballsy and focused leadership (to sometimes go against the grain, for the overriding public interest) to deliver true service and economic dividend.  For our fallen comrades in sports, who passed on this year, we salute you and wish you rest and may St. Peter be merciful.

For the rest of us.  "Hope springs eternal", but true value resides in commitment, direction and a lack of fear.  We must change because death is not an option........... 2012, another opportunity for Nigeria to get it right.  Lets hope the powers that be, and the heavens are on our side..... Happy new year folks.....