Promoter Scores Nigerian Sports Low

A Rivers State born grassroots Football promoter, Chief
Isaac Wonwu has said that Nigeria has not made appreciable progress in Sports
development in her 52 years as a sovereign nation.

Speaking in an interview with Tidesports in Port Harcourt,
Wonwu, said that other smaller African countries are looking  up to Nigeria to claim the top spot in sports
as giant of Africa, given her great potentials, but that has not been the case
as the country’s rating has continued to decline every passing year.

According to him, some of the smaller neighbouring countries
are now beginning to challenge Nigeria in competitive sports and that has
invariably reduced the country’s rating in thecomity of world’s sports.

Speaking on the way forward, Chief Wonwu suggested that
efforts should be made towards ensuring that proper planning is made  from the grassroots in order to discover
budding talents and groom them properly.

He bemoaned the absence of sports fields in schools these days
as a negative effect on the development of sports, particularly football among
youths in Rivers State.

“Imagine a situation where youths are deprived of using a
standard football pitches to train as a result of the building of public and
private primary schools without consideration for sporting activities,” he
said.

He continued that the few anomalies including corrupt
practices of the leaders who are busy paying lip services to sports development
in Nigeria should be viewed seriously if the country hopes to improve on her
sports development and rating.