SPORTS DEVELOPMENT IN THE LAST 50 YEARS.

BY
MITCHELL OBI
EXECUTIVE VICE-CHAIRMAN
MASTERSPORTS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

Remembrance like reminiscences is not always an opportunity to embellish the past. Indeed, since independence, our sporting moments of glory have come and gone like shooting stars. As a nation, we’ve grown over the years to believe that in Sports, God is a Nigerian, and victories come from neither our diligence nor commitment to excellence but from a spirit-filled exercise. But then, this is a season to toast to our achievements. Sincerely, if our administrators both in uniform and out of it have made the kind of sacrifices we have seen of Nigerian Sportsmen since independence, this polity would have been a better place.
We are all aware that beyond the entertainment and economic value of sports, it has played a far greater role of ensuring cohesion. Where religion and ethnic allegiance have pulled at the strings of nation-hood, sports has been the glue that patched up natural cracks. It is therefore little surprising that in its 50 years of nation-hood, Nigeria has won more international honours through sports than any other field. In nearly all the world popular sports events, Nigerians have been counted as top performers. From boxing to wrestling, football to basketball, track and field to tennis, there are Nigerians who have made some marks for the world to see. THE MANY successes at international competitions have made legends out of some Nigerians. It was the late Hogan kid Bassey that put the name of a relatively young nation on the map of world boxing history with a brave performance that earned him the world title crown in the lighter weights and honour for fatherland in 1952. Bassey’s feat seem to have set the tone for other achievements that would follow from the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan in 1964 to world title fights in America and Ibadan (1967-71) and recently the brief reign of Samuel Okon Peter, as World Boxing Council (WBC) heavy weight champion of the world. Names like Dick Tiger Ihetu, Nojeem Maiyegun, Dele Jonathan, Obisia Nwamkpa, and Joe Lasisi stood tall among their peers in the professional ranks from Africa to Europe andAmerica. In the non-paid ranks, Isaac Ikhuoria, David Izonrite, Charles Nwokolo and Peter Konyegwachi have caused the world to stand and appreciate the tunes of the national anthem. But the achievements in boxing pales in significance when the golden feats at the Olympics Games in Atlanta, 1996 rushes back to memory. The Games in the America city remains a watershed in the annals of Nigeria‘s participation in international multi-sports events. First was the golden jump of Chioma Ajunwa. If that leap to gold was stunning, the conquest over two most powerful South American football nations TO WIN THE GOLD MEDAL by the Nigerian team captained by Nwankwo Kanu was confounding. In the commonwealth games, Nigeria has been dominating its track and field events right from the 1960’s.
It is all too easy to recall the exploits on the tracks of ladies like Violet Odogwu-Nwajei, Armelia Edet, Rose Adiole of the 1960’s to mid 1970’s and the contemporary crowd including Mary Onyeali-Omagbemi, Falitat Ogunkoya, Tina Iheagwam, Charity Opara AND Fatima Yusufu. Nigerian men have also always been in reckoning in world athletics even before independence. The LIKES OF THE late Dele Udo, Charlton Ehizuelen, Innocent Egbunike, Chidi Imoh, and Sunday Bada are some who have set the pace. AT THE continental level LAURELS HAVE ALSO BEEN WON. In 1976 and 1978, IICC shooting Stars and Rangers International respectively won the Africa Cup Winners CUP competition. In 1980, Christian Chukwu captained the national senior football team, the Green Eagles to win for the first time, the Africa Cup of nations. In 1985, Nigeria made FIFA history when teenagers captained by Nduka Ugbade won the inaugural U-16 World Championship in China with repeat performances in 1993 in Japan and in 2007 in S. Korea. The super eagles also won the nations cup again in 1994 in Tunisia and qualified for the world cup in the USA.
The Eagles have since that break- Through to the world’s big ranks, struggled to rekindle those moments. Football remains the nations highest sport export with over 1500 players in different club all over the world mostly from a fledgling professional league that hit its finest height when Enyimba of Aba crowned Nigeria’s 38 years elusive search for Africa’s most prestigious competition, the Champion League with back to back triumphs in 2003 and 2004. Weight lifting is another honours ground for the nation in international sports competition. Table Tennis has also put Nigeria ahead of other Africa countries since the 1960’s when a succession of the nation’s ping pong players queue to take continental titles. Women have also not been lagging in the Sport as they have also dominated on the continent. Though tennis fans may not be having the best of seasons, it has also witnessed a blissful era. Nduka Odizor, nicknamed the Duke for his exploits on the court stands out as THE nation’s tennis icon. Outside the field, Nigerians have also been scoring some impressions in the boardrooms of sports administration.
Late Oyo Orok Oyo, a former secretary General of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) rose up to the rank of FIFA executive committee member, the same position Amos Adamu, a former Sole Administrator of NFA was also elected into as well as into the CAF executive committee. Engineer Dotun Segun who was once the chairman of the Nigeria Table Tennis Association (NTTA) is the first vice president of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). In 50 years of nation –hood, Nigeria has also played host to major sporting events ranging from the All-African Games, which Nigeria successfully hosted for the second time in 2003 and the Nations Cup which she has also hosted twice. There had been world championship in football, volleyball, and continental championships. As we roll the drums, for this toast to a nation so passionate about sports, it is only fitting not to ignore the real drummers of our sports, the athletes, whose beats over these years have continued to inspire our dance steps. We have seen our leaders, over the years; treat sports as “an all-comers sector where individuals with confessed ignorance in sports are appointed as ministers who end up being misdirected by sycophants. There is the need take another look at the NATION’S reward system. WE MUST implement a comprehensive welfare package for those who make us smile and cheer.

Source: recorded live from FRCN daily commentary