Nigeria is talented; how can she win?
Nigeria, a nation brimming with sports talents, has consistently underperformed in major international sporting events despite possessing a rich pool of gifted athletes.
The reasons for this underperformance are multifaceted, but a primary factor is the lack of sustainable funding for sports development.
Recognizing this chronic issue, a government-appointed investigative committee has proposed a comprehensive strategy to address the funding gap and propel Nigerian sports to new heights.
The leadership of the country has now been advised to adopt a set of “intentional, collaborative, and creative” solutions.
The committee’s recommendations center around a private sector-led approach, involving key stakeholders and corporate Nigeria.
The Committee
The federal government, through the now-defunct Ministry of Sports Development, established an “investigative committee on the various negative exposures to Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games following another disappointing outing, where Team Nigeria failed to win a single medal at the summer Olympics despite strong qualifying performances.
The committee was tasked with, among others, recommending measures that would prevent future occurrence of similar situations; and to recommend any other strategy that may contribute towards a successful participation of Team Nigeria in subsequent major Games.
The 7-man Committee as follows:
i. Dr. Mumini Alao – Chairman
ii. Godwin Enakhena – Member
iii. Hajia Rakiya Mohammed – Member
iv. Dr.Abubakar Ago – Member
v. Nnene Akudo – Member
vi. Aliyu Mohammed – Member
vii. Barr. Victor Okangbe – Member/Secretary
The Problem
The failure of the Nigerian contingent consisting of 88 athletes in 12 sports was also riled with administrative lapses and poor technical decisions that were facilitated by an underlying inadequate funding and untimely release of funds by the government for preparation and participation at major international sports events.
The Solution
In learning from the mistakes of Paris 2024, prepare for a better outing not only at the next Olympics but in all major international competitions, a concept paper submitted to the National Sports Commission titled “NIGERIA: SUSTAINABLE FUNDING STRATEGY FOR PARTICIPATION IN MULTI-SPORTS COMPETITIONS, curated the succinct solutions as a private sector-led concept involving sports stakeholders as well as corporate Nigeria, and aims to close the huge funding gap that has limited the abundance of Nigerian talents from excelling at the global stage.
The committee’s proposal tagged ‘Team Nigeria’ identified that first, dominant sporting structures like the Ministry of Sports and the Nigeria Olympic Committee must make themselves viable for credible and sustainable partnerships with the private sector through clear and strong legal personalities.
Other Key Components of the Proposed Strategy include:
- Establishment of Team Nigeria Ltd/Gte: This organization will be responsible for fundraising, organized fund disbursement, and the overall management of Team Nigeria.
- Diverse Funding Sources: The paper identifies multiple revenue streams, including:
- lottery fund
- corporate partnerships and sponsorship;
- licensing and merchandising;
- grants
- the trust fund;
- broadcast rights; and
- crowd funding.
- Efficient Fund Utilization: The committee emphasizes the importance of effective financial management and timely disbursement of funds for athlete preparation and participation in international competitions.
- Professional Management: The proposed structure includes a lean management team, comprising a General Manager, Finance Director, and other key administrative roles. This streamlined approach aims to maximize the impact of available funds.
- Brand Building and Management: Critical to the achievement of the set objectives, The committee recommends a robust branding strategy to enhance the visibility and appeal of Team Nigeria. The brand to meet the needs of all fans across different age groups. In other words, gone should be the days when our sports are managed with outdated principles. What must be done?
The success of this strategy hinges on the government’s commitment to supporting the initiative and creating a conducive environment for sports development.
Following Team GB’s poor showing at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, which resulted in Britain finishing a lowly 36th in the medal table with a paltry 15 total medals after parading 300 athletes.
The British government, led by Prime Minister John Major, took proactive steps to find significant new sources of revenue for elite and grass-roots sports through the introduction of the national lottery fund.
By contrast, in 2024, 327 Team GB athletes garnered a total of 65 to finish in 7th place on the table. It is noteworthy that team GB have made it to the top 10 in all summer Olympics since the dismal 1996 showing, in fact, only finishing outside the top 4 three times.
This progress is “Prompted by a mixture of pragmatic, ideological, and electoral impulses, state involvement in sport had been transformed, not uniformly over the whole post-war period, but with discernable leaps forward nevertheless.” (Professor Kevin Jefferys of Plymouth University in his “The Evolution of Sport Policy Since 1945″ paper delivered at the History & Policy seminar for the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport, 6 February 2012, ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.)
Lesson from Harold Wilson and John Major: the government must harness political opportunities that were being missed by not at least attempting to tap into sport as a hugely popular social and cultural phenomenon.
By learning from the mistakes of the past and embracing innovative solutions, Nigeria can unlock its full athletic potential and achieve global sporting glory.
