Daily Independent Online.
*
Tuesday, June 22, 2004.
Good-bye!
By Godwin-Spiff Sagbamah
Last week Tuesday,
I granted an interview to a Lagos based TV station, superscreen on the state of
sports facilities especially swimming which is the king of all sports at major
competitions like the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, where nothing is common and the All Africa games.
Swimming is the king of all sports due to the fact that once you dictate the
pace in this event and win 80% of the medals available here if possible, you
are likely to be first among equals. Ditto for some other sports, but swimming
has multiple medals to be won.
Therefore, when I
granted that interview, I only referred the reporter and her cameraman to only
visit the swimming pool inside the National Stadium in Lagos and see for
themselves what exactly is going on. How everything has been abandoned and the
entire water inside the pool as a
breeding ground for frogs and aquatic animals including microscopic organism
that you may need the electron miscroscope to see many more. In fact, there is
no better place for the study of micro-organism with aquatic habitation than
the stadium’s swimming pool.
All these tells a
sad story of how government has killed sports in this country. For instance, a
swimmer based in Lagos will have to look for a private swimming pool perhaps in
some hotels to train. This is not possible as a hotel pool is a public pool and
may not in most cases meet international standard for competitions.
A day after I
granted this interview, precisely on Wednesday, June the 16th, Mobil addressed
the sports media about their desire for which the organisation has finalised a
gradual disengagement from the sponsorship of athletics in the country which
will terminate next year. As I was in attendance at the media brief the news
was sad and not good for the development of sports especially athletics which
has brought us some measure of achievements. For your information, Mobil has
been sponsoring athletics for the past 15 years and it’s only instructive
for one to pause and ask why? For one, the financial resources are there
bountifully. So, this is not part of their consideration. Even though, the
representative of Mobil tried to sound very diplomatic about the whole thing.
You could deduce that the terrain has been messed up by government’s
continuous lack of proper focus and direction for our sports. Therefore, any
organisation sponsoring any of the government owned sports as everything is
owned by government is doing so for purely political gains and patronage. What
has government not destroyed in this country? From simple dynamics of
leadership to provide vision, hope and succour to the common man, to the basic
understanding and application of simple economic paradigms for economic growth,
government has consistently become inconsistent and a total waste of resources
that has resulted into established failure.
Even sports, one of
the simplest form of economic re-direction among nations today cannot be found
among the numerous compass in the hands of government as they navigate blindly
in search of solutions to the hydra-headed problems created by themselves.
Sports is now a big economic unit or activity among the nations of the world.
It has moved from the level of micro-economics into an economic large scale.
Sports brings large revenue to the economies of the western countries and other
countries that know what they are doing. Sports is currently a big economic
activity where huge profits are not only being declared but in the driving seat
and many multi-nationals are begging to get into the sports vehicle.
However, here in
Nigeria, like every other thing, government must control sports, and rather
than making it a profit making venture, it is a public relation outfit that
millions of naira would appear on their income and expenditure account while
these millions never get to the actors of the game.
Every year, Mobil
conducts the athletic trials to which government officials feed fat at the
expense of the athletes. The truth about the whole thing is that all our sports
including football is dead. No single sports is self-sustaining because the
various sports are conduit pipes
that are used to siphon money and giving the boys jobs. If Mobil with all the
means of a major oil player with huge financial outlay could pullout of
sponsoring sports, then I’m afraid, there is no hope left again for our
youths. The best thing is just to find your way to other countries that reward
and care for youth better.
There might be
other companies that could spend more than Mobil, but I can bet you none of
them would come forth until government’s insensitivity in harnessing the
great potentials we have in sports is fully tapped to the benefits of the
actors and the development of the sporting industry. As these companies
continue to pull out of sports, government is short of ideas on what to do at a
time more companies should actually be coming in.
Before now, UNIC
Insurance had equally pulled out from the sponsorship of sports and sadly
enough, it was from athletics. So, two major and big sponsors of athletics in
Nigeria have both pulled out of one of Nigeria’s best sports -
athletics. Unfortunately, this is the year of the Olympics the biggest sporting
activity in the whole world. By 2007, if nothing is done, all institutions of
sports would either be closed down or dead in this country. The structures are
in a state of decay and the persons saddled with the responsibility of
repositioning our sports are mechanics in a carpenter’s workshop. Why
will the government want our sports to function well when that will give room
to youths from poor homes to excel and level up with them at the top in what
they call riches translated only in money. That the two biggest sponsors of
athletics in Nigeria have pulled out is to many, not surprising as they saw it
coming long ago. The government will not bother about this new development as
it suits their purpose not to provide ladders for anyone especially our youths
to climb up the ladder of success or progress.
It is so embarrassing
that at a time when many companies are looking up to sports to drive their
brands, our government must look the other way as the structures continue to
cascade down with no care in the world. When UNIC Insurance pulled out, nobody
from the sports ministry, not even the sports director in the sports ministry
gave any inclination as to anything
has happened which has a negative impact on the sports terrain.
What else can one
say today that has not been said or written. UNIC Insurance, Mobil Oil have
both left the major sports territory and many more companies will leave since
they can no longer get any mileage or leverage from those who manage sports,
the government. A lot more withdrawals had subtly taken place but since they
were not big players, it did not cause any stir and no one cared. I would only
pray that some other companies will come from the blues and help our youths in
organising fruitful competitions that will benefit our youths and others.
Outside football,
which has internal ailment among administrators and managers, all the other
sports are dead. Only few are at the surgeon’s theatre awaiting
operation, many are lying prostrate, only a few can survive the full force of
government to destroy and completely annihilate sports and everything connected
to sports. International bodies that some of our sports unit are affiliated,
get either quarterly or annual grants to help develop facilities related to
these sports. All we hear is that, government proxies or representatives share
these grants among themselves leaving the sports and the athletes helpless.
What exactly is wrong with this nation called Nigeria. Why can’t we
simply move from having potentials to building these potentials into palpable
rock solid achievements seen by all. For how long are we going to remain a
country with great potentials without realising the full impact of these
potentials Everyday, we hear the sermon of great potentials that abound
resources many countries can never imagine. The problem of leadership which is a
major issue in our national life remains unresolved. For things to work out
well even in sports, we must tackle leadership problems head on. We must shy
away from decorating the various evil that now face us like monsters in the
area of leadership in all strata. We do not have leaders who can inspire, who
have any measure of value and character. What we have are possessed minds who
possess power without compassion, exercise authority without discretion and
lack any measure of kindness. The people are seen as subjects and objects,
while the leaders are kings and emperors whose words are sacrosanct without
questions. We live in fear on a daily basis and look up to our leaders for our
daily bread and hoped for some little water to be dropped in our mouth. To refuse
confronting these problems today, we will live to confront them very soon as a
nation or as fragments from a former nation.
I really thought
that democracy would bring better times to our sports for our youths to
progress and develop but the reverse has been the case here. Sports is the
easiest vehicles that would drive our youths together for any meaningful gain
that could bring about the youths being recognised, paid and honoured for their
role in bringing glory to a country that is suffering from critical leadership
vacuum.
For UNIC Insurance,
I say good-bye, for Mobil Oil, I say good bye, for all those who depend on
sports to survive but now survive depravity, I say goodbye, for every other
corporate organisation that sees sports as another government dead sector
without any skilled managerial requirement in managing the sports sector well
enough for them to stay, I say goodbye, for the vast majority of our youths who
have lost hope and the only option left is Europe or America, I say goodbye.
For the government policy makers in sports but just sit there to milk the
heifer dry, I say shame. For the so called leaders in sports in sports ministry
called by all kinds of appellation, I say shame. To all who know that they have
nothing to offer sports, yet sit tight, I say woe unto you. Sports is a big
money spinning machine but only those who know the difference between hockey
stick and a tennis racket.
Those who can
design a brand from sports, push it into the market as a must buy. Only that
this government knows it all and do not need any advice from anywhere.
