For a government desirous of fighting crime, engaging restive youths, creating employment and mobilising its population for positive growth it is bewildering why sports is not being used to achieve these objectives.
Since independence successive governments have paid lip service to sports development in the mistaken belief that it is mainly for recreational purposes and that their responsibility lies more in providing facilities for recreation. It is ironic that in this self-appointed role it has been failing as we see these centres being taken over by the noveau riche. Because of this role misconception, funding sport is always running a distant second behind health, education, defence etc. But the truth is that developing sport to its full potential would help almost every other aspect of government responsibility.
As Nigeria enters a new administration, perhaps now is the time to draw government's attention to a few issues that could be considered in developing a template for sport in our country.
I think it is more imperative now to see what advantages there would be for our country if governments pay a little more attention to sport. Can you imagine what opportunities would be provided for mass mobilisation if for instance our country gets to win four gold medals in athletics, one gold, one silver in football and at least a gold each in wrestling, boxing and weightlifting in the next Olympics in Brazil. Such a feat would bolster our national sense of well being, would further enhance our unity and open the Nigerian state to increased opportunities in the business of sport (which financial experts predict would be one of the two main movers of world economy in this century).
I do not believe government can adequately fund sport. Its role is to create an enabling environment for sport to develop and thrive. Government policy should be such that there would be a synergy between the various publics of sports such that would enhance its development.
I was sufficiently thrilled when the new Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, in a pre-inauguration speech announced that he would develop sport in the state by ensuring that component communities are encouraged to partner his government to create a template which would see the emergence of community sponsored sport associations that would develop and nurture sport in the state.
According to him, his government would use the state/communities partnership to change the state not only in the provision of sporting and recreational facilities but in wedging the people of Lagos into a solidified and united citizenry where everyone would regard Lagos as home and where they belong. For Ambode, who enumerated this view at the Town Hall Meeting he attended at NightShift Coliseum shortly before winning the gubernatorial election, the special nature of Lagos makes it imperative for government to devise a means of enhancing cohesion and integration of all those who live in the state. If the Lagos model works what we will have is a society that has been opened up to keep our youths off crime while getting them adequately recreated. Eventually we will have a society that is able to get its young ones off drugs and stay healthy.
This will be a carry-on of the Fashola approach where the tendency of government is to open up the state by providing many sporting facilities. In competitions, Lagos State may not come first now but it has a pool that sooner than later will provide the best in the country. Already, the state is producing the best boxers and table tennis players. Soon leaders will emerge in other sports. More importantly, a new generation of Nigerians would be created that are not Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Efik or Edo but Nigerians living in Lagos with undiluted allegiance to the state. They will be known as Lagosians and they will excel in sports.
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