Opinion

Sports Minister’s Blunders: Time for a Change

Published

1 month ago

August 20, 2024

By Sylvanus Ofekun

The 2024 Paris Olympics have come and gone, leaving a trail of disappointment and disillusionment in their wake. Nigeria’s performance was nothing short of disastrous, with the country failing to win a single medal despite participating in 12 sports with 88 athletes. The approved budget of 9 billion Naira, courtesy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, seems to have been squandered under the watch of Senator John Owan Enoh, Nigeria’s Minister of Sports Development.

Enoh’s response to the debacle has been a masterclass in deflection and blame-shifting. Instead of taking responsibility for his ministry’s failures, he has chosen to blame everyone else – the Sports Federations, the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), and even the “toxic environment” in Nigerian sports. His recent quote, “The stage after the Olympics has been very toxic… Nigeria has failed in the Olympics before with nothing happening, but I have been subjected to all forms of harassment,” showcases his lack of accountability and penchant for playing the victim.

Enoh’s defense has been weak, blaming both the living and the dead, except himself, for Team Nigeria’s poor outing. He has referenced past performances, citing the fact that Nigeria did not win a medal in London 2012, but won a bronze in football in 2016, and silver and bronze in wrestling and long jump in Tokyo 2020, all these were done by luck.

However, this is not a time for excuses or justifications. The fact remains that Enoh promised a better performance than the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and he failed to deliver.

His numerous television appearances have only served to highlight his lack of concrete plans and solutions, replaced by outbursts of venom towards his subordinates. It is clear that Enoh is out of his depth, and his incompetence and greed-driven blunders have exposed him as a novice in sports administration.

The time has come for President Tinubu to take decisive action. Enoh must be replaced with a competent and experienced individual who can restore Nigeria’s sports glory. Furthermore, the sports ministry has proven to be a failed experiment. It is time to scrap it and replace it with the National Sports Commission, which will operate under the presidency. This commission will be run by experts with a clear legislative framework, ensuring accountability and efficiency.

Nigeria deserves better. Its athletes deserve better. They deserve a sports administration that is competent, accountable, and transparent. They deserve a system that will nurture and support them, rather than hinder their progress. It is time for a change.

The sports-loving public is watching, and they will not forget the failures of the current administration. President Tinubu must act now to restore Nigeria’s sports glory, and ensure that the country’s athletes are given the support and resources they need to succeed. Anything less is unacceptable.

sleekysly5@gmail.com

Share on Facebook

Featured

SPORTS MINISTER’S BOLD PERSPECTIVES ON SPORTS

Published

1 month ago

August 19, 2024

The Gleamer

FELICIA OBY NWOKORIE

The Minister of Sports Development, Sen. John Owan Enoh, who completes one year in office this August, has given a glimpse of his thoughts for better sports outings in future. This is germane, considering the pains expressed by Nigerians who had hoped and yearned for medals at the just concluded Olympics.

Nigerians were quick to recall the previous epic achievements of Nigeria in international outings such as athletics, boxing, football, wrestling, weightlifting etc, climaxed with two gold medals in Atlanta 96. Sports has always proved a panacea to stress situations and has brought enormous joy to Nigerians who relish our youths standing on the podium of Honour, our flag fluttering in the wind and having our National Anthem rendered.

Admitting that Nigeria should have done better, he gave bold indication of going the whole hog to find the causes of the poor performance of the athletes and promised that he would take a critical look at the configuration of the professional and operational systems that produce the sportsmen and women for Nigeria.

In an outstanding act of courage and responsibility, the Hon Minister admitted and apologized that the performances of our athletes were below expectation. He pleaded with sports loving Nigerians to give him time to restructure sports and to dispassionately X-ray the immediate and long time actions that affected the performances of the athletes.

The Hon Minister though not being a “sports professional” as some people say, he fully understands that sporting activities are purely technical. He knows too that for any administrator to be credited as expected, he needs time to really understand the most challenging areas that require urgent concentration, as well as have due support from stakeholders to enable him succeed. He has put his heart and soul in this and he is evidently succeeding.

Happily the Hon Minister is an astute, result-oriented administrator, and has pronounced his commitment to a reinvigorated sports sector. In that regard, one of the areas the Minister and the management of the Sports Sector should draw advantage from is the cesspool of welcome ideas of the Sports Writers Association (SWAN) which should be distilled.

Stakeholders and sports veterans should embrace the eagerness of the Hon Minister, and make contributions and suggestions that will help to change the negative assertions following the outing in Paris 2024 to a positive assertion that will lead to better performance which can supersede that of the glorious event of 1996.

Only a coalescing of honest postulations by formidable team players and stakeholders at a time like this can affect positive changes in the development of sports as well as correct the shortcomings or irregularities that hinder progress, before the commencement of next championship. The Hon Minister as usual, is open to all well meaning contributions.

On the budget of N12 billion attributed to the Olympics, the reactions are basically reactionary and have not actually been holistic, not reckoning with all aspects of the expenditure cost lines. Under the strict watch of the Minister, Nigeria had a glorious outing that showcased 88 athletes who indeed represented the country. Desirous as medals are, people should not lose sight of the financial implications of this money.

Even though no medal was brought to the country, not a single athlete has complained of not being paid his/her allowances as deserved, which is way ahead of what used to happen in the past. Commendably, none of the athletes got stranded or became unable to depart safely to their various destinations, as used to obtain in the past.

The write ups and hard knocks from most Nigerians, especially the media, is commendable showing that they have their eyes daily on the update of sporting activities and that they mean well for Nigeria. Meanwhile the situation has exposed to the Hon. Minister, critical areas that require him and the SWAN to forge a closer relationship.

As the Minister approaches the critical bend of one year in office, and his Permanent Secretary barely five months, what they need now is activate seasoned sectoral inputs as nations of the world start earnestly to prepare their teams for the next Olympics. Four years is only a number and is already knocking at the doors. Please Let us not allow misdirection and possibly wrong advice from any quarters destabilize us.

As we look forward to preparing for the forthcoming event slated to hold in Los Angeles, all eyes should now be focused on the Federations and all the stakeholders to ensure that they do not dissipate their energies in distractive squabbles that could harm Nigeria’s overall sporting interest and fortunes.

Those criticizing the Hon Minister should take a look back, and give him plaudits for frugality and keen financial management. His tenure has not recorded what critics used to call sports jamborees. But Sen. Enoh since assumption of duty has occupied himself with paying off debts that were part of the causes of instability in the Federations.

Certainly under this present sports administration, Nigeria will overcome whatever militating circumstances that affected sports management in recent times. A trip around the Abiola National Stadium is an eye witness to ongoing projects that are part of the mandate of the Minister to get all the staff to be domiciled in the stadium for easy management of both the staff and infrastructure therein.

Finally, as the Honorable Minister braces to take tough ameliorative actions, let the voices of Nigerians be loudly raised on the Athletic Federation of Nigeria ( AFN), the Federation Presidents, NOC and all who are given mandates, to embrace synergy for better coordination for the nation’s sporting victory rather than exhibiting the present greater interest in qualification more than of the podium finish.

Please Nigerians, let us be more focused on the Paralympic athletes as their games become imminent and wish them good luck. Let us congratulate the Basketball Female team whose coach was honoured as the best Female Coach in Olympic Games. The Paralympic Games have always brought us Honours in the past and hopefully would do so again.

FELICIA OBY NWOKORIE
PRESS OFFICER, SPORTS DEVELOPMENT.

Share on Facebook