An official of the Nigeria Gymnastics Federation says the body is in dire need of visionary leadership that is ready to develop the sport from the grassroots to avert its imminent extinction.
The Secretary, Lagos State Gymnastic Association, Sadic Momodu, made the assertion in an interview with newsmen yesterday  in Lagos.
He said that Gymnastics federation had been neglected for long and that it needed special attention from the stakeholders.
“What we need now is a visionary leader who will be ready to drive the federation in the right direction. The federation has suffered neglect for long.
“This forthcoming elections in March should give us time to reappraise ourselves and God willing, we have to get someone to captain the ship.
“We need someone responsible, not necessarily a gymnast, but someone who knows what the sport is all about and moreso, knows gymnastics as the mother of all sports.
“We need someone who knows that the sport should be grassroots driven and engage actively children between the ages of six and eight to become world champions,’’ he said.
Momodu said the bane of Gymnastics development was lack of sponsors, adding that the incoming president must be ready to face the task of securing sponsors for its programmes.
“Funding has been a problem with the federation. The incoming president must know that funding will be his first challenge to tackle if he wants to be successful.
“The person aspiring may not be rich, but should have an idea of how to get sponsors for our various programmes and where to get them.
“This is the quality of who we want as our president and not those who are aspiring to go there and use the federation as a launch pad to their political aspirations.
“We also want the sport to be popularised among the youths because it is painful to have gymnasts at this level in Nigeria,’’ he said.
Momodu said that the activities of the federation had been slowed down because of past neglect from its previous executives.
“We have been slowed down a lot and nothing is happening in the federation, we couldn’t get sponsors for our programmes.
“At the state level in Lagos, we should be able to have one event by April but at the national level I can’t say what will happen.
“We have had individuals that have signified their intentions to contest for the federation’s presidency, but in my opinion, they are not serious candidates.