Coaches Lament Poor Sports Dev In Nigeria

As the country celebrated its 52nd Independence anniversary
this week, some coaches have lamented the poor development of the sports
sector.

The coaches, who spoke to newsmen in separate interviews
coordinated, attributed the decline in the nation’s sports to poor facilities,
training and politicisation of offices.

According to them, the country has nothing to write home
about in sports because of failure of government to employ highly skilled
technical hands to evolve programmes to develop sports and facilities.

The Head Coach, Lagos State Sports Council,  Isaac Kally-Agogo, said the nation deviated
from the right path to sport development by failing to create a coaching
department at the National Sports Commission.

“There is nothing to write home about in this country as far
as sports are concerned. We have ‘killed’ sports with our hands by not engaging
the right people in the right places.

“What results do you expect when the round pegs are not put
in the round holes? He queried

Kally-Agogo, then, urged government to create a coaching
department in the Ministry of Sports with credible technical experts that would
develop training programmes.

The Head Coach, Lagos State Weightlifting Association Ene
Bassey, said: “nothing remarkable can be identified with the nation’s sports
sector due to poor facilities and talents-hunt programmes.

“The sports industry has been declining all the way back
since 1996, because we do not have equipment and we are not updating the old
ones. All our facilities are outdated.

“Sincerely, for us to get things right, we have to fix our
equipment and evolve good programmes for discovering talents, so as not to be
re-cycling athletes in various sports,’’ he said.

According to Abiodun Oyewumi, the Head Coach, Lagos State
Gymnastics Association, the diminishing of the nation’s sports sector is a
product of the neglect of the secondary schools’ sports.

“Sport is not taking place again in many secondary schools
and facilities are not in place in local government areas, and the states of
the federation and the leagues are bad.

“If the government intends to revive sports, then it should
consider fixing facilities in all sports. It is an investment that you reap
what you have put in,’’ he said.

The Technical Director, Lagos State Volleyball Association
Taiwo Oladipupo, noted, rather than move forward in sports, the country had
been sliding.

Oladipupo added that the transformation of sports in Nigeria
would have to begin with improving facilities, competitions, training as well
as engaging of knowledgeable experts.

“I think with regular competitions at the grassroots, we can
reposition our sports in Nigeria,’’ he stressed.