Sports
Shaibu Set To Overhaul NIS
The newly appointed Director-General of the National Institute for Sports, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has announced plans for a comprehensive overhaul of the institute as part of efforts to reposition Nigeria’s sports development system.
Shaibu, who assumed office last Monday, said the mandate given to him by President Bola Tinubu was to carry out major reforms in line with the administration’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda.
“What is critical is that we need a total overhaul of the institute. The mandate given to me is to come here and carry out a major reform with the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of Mr President. I think this structure needs renewed hope,” the former Edo State deputy governor stated during an inspection of the NIS facilities.
The new DG expressed shock at the level of decay in some parts of the institute, which was established in 1974 to improve Nigeria’s performance in international sporting competitions.
“The NIS is the engine room of Nigeria sports. If the NIS is sleeping, Nigeria sports is sleeping.
That is why our sports have not been moving forward,” Shaibu said.
He promised to end the culture of celebrating mediocre performances at international competitions, particularly the Olympics.
“Nigeria cannot be a giant of Africa in terms of size and economy and each time we go to international competitions, we’re not on the medals table. Each time we go to the Olympics, the silver medal becomes like gold for us, and so, it’s obvious that we need a lot of work to be done,” he said.
Shaibu, who officially took over from Professor Olawale Moronkola, represented by Omonode Christyne, Head of Department of Coaching and Training, expressed confidence that a reformed NIS would restore Nigeria’s winning ways in international competitions.
“The quality of your coaches and managers will determine what you can do at the Olympics. The mandate given to me is total reform of the NIS, and I am grateful to President Bola Tinubu for his great vision for Nigeria sports,” he stated.
Shaibu emphasised the economic potential of sports, describing it as a goldmine that could create massive employment opportunities for Nigerian youths.
“We have to rebrand the NIS to attract stakeholders. Sports is a goldmine. It is more than the oil we have in Nigeria. During my tenure as Deputy Governor in Edo State, I came to realise that football, handball and a few sports can take more than 50 million of our youths from the labour market. We need to do something fast,” Shaibu said.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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