Sports in 2011: A tale of crass corruption, conspiracy – Gara Gombe

For Gara-Gombe the sharp and continuous decline in Nigerian sports in the year 2011 is not a surprise because those who have presided over the sector in the past have deliberately planned for the eventual catastrophes that have befallen the nation’s sports. He said anytime a nation refuses to embrace the basic principles of doing […]

For Gara-Gombe the sharp and continuous decline in Nigerian sports in the year 2011 is not a surprise because those who have presided over the sector in the past have deliberately planned for the eventual catastrophes that have befallen the nation’s sports.

He said anytime a nation refuses to embrace the basic principles of doing any business, it is bound to reap disaster because the right things have not been done.

Gombe said the bane of Nigerian sports has remained monumental corruption on the part of sports administrators, lack of progressive ideas and conspiracy on the side of government which has over the years failed to hands off the running of the sector.

Gombe noted that sports administrators are bent on feathering their nests to the detriment of the country’s sports and as long as nobody is willing to stop them, the present comatose state of Nigerian sports would remain and things would get from worse to worst.

“My candid assessment of sports in the year 2012 is a tale of corruption and mal-administration on the part of sports administrators. It has been another year of endemic corruption on the part of those saddled with the responsibility of running the country’s sports.

“In place of sports development, what we have reaped is countless court cases following some sharp practices in the system. We have recorded more litigations than victories. This is not good for the country’s sports. Unfortunately, the government is an accomplice because it has refused to come out with a clear cut position on issues relating to sports. Government has not paid enough attention to the sector. It is not about appropriating funds to sports but ensuring that what has been released is judiciously applied”.

Gombe maintained that for sports to move forward in Nigeria, the running of the sector must be privatized. He said sports should not be government business because in other countries, sports is a serious business which is done by professionals in the private sector.

According to him, the only way out of the present confusion is for government to begin a conscious programme of eventual withdrawal from sports. He said if in the next five years government provides the enabling environment and pulls out of sports funding, then Nigeria would witness unprecedented sports development.

“We shall continue to run in circus if government does not leave sports alone. Government is deeply involved in funding sports in this country and the few opportunistic Nigerians saddled with the responsibility of managing the government’s generous investments in sports have continued to abuse such opportunities. This has led to mind boggling corruption in the sector because in Nigeria, government money is hardly accounted for.

“In this case, I advise government to hands off the funding of sports.

Well meaning individuals and corporate bodies should take over sports funding. In addition, the sector should be in the care of true stake-holders who know what is required to move sports forward.

“As things stand now, we would not make any appreciable progress because there are too many square pegs in round holes. The National Sports Commission, NSC, is rotten and nothing good can come out of the sports federations. The federations are constituted at the whims and caprice of the NSC and as men who were handpicked to serve personal agendas, the commission keeps manipulating them as if they are all puppets.

“If government would allow the private sector to run sports, it would be easier to do away with corruption in the sector. However, as long as this is not done, the few who have formed themselves into a cabal would always have their way”.

Gombe said it would be unfair to write off all sports federations as he said he is impressed with the progress made by the Basketball Federation. He said the federation was able to sustain its relationship with its main sponsors and also participate in some competitions. Gombe said even if basketball did not win anything, it showed the strong desire to move forward.

“It would be unfair to mention any federation as the lowest in terms of performance as all of them did not achieve anything tangible.

However, I must not fail to acknowledge the effort made by the Basketball Federation in the year 2011. The federation was able to maintain its relationship with its major sponsors. Unlike other federations that did not get sponsors and failed to maintain the existing ones, the basketball federation did well by working harmoniously with its sponsors”.

Gombe said in 2012, government should gradually disengage from sports to allow individuals with the requisite expertise to run the sector.

According to him, as government pulls out of full participation in funding of the sector, the presidency should deem it necessary to have a Special Assistant on Sports matters. He said such a knowledgeable and credible Nigerian would offer appropriate advices for sports development.