The great football revolution – Lagos, Oyo, take the lead!
The football leagues of several African countries, including Nigeria’s, rather than seize the period to garner greater domestic interest and followership, have instead emphasised the drought of great football that used to be our tradition before the forceful entry of European football into our lives, particularly in the last decade. So, we search and grope […]
The football leagues of several African countries, including Nigeria’s, rather than seize the period to garner greater domestic interest and followership, have instead emphasised the drought of great football that used to be our tradition before the forceful entry of European football into our lives, particularly in the last decade. So, we search and grope for something, anything, positive in our sports to revive waning spirit and restore fading hope. I have found little droplets.
I am receiving some heartwarming news at last around some recent developments in sports in schools around Nigeria. They are coming from several States confirming that our humble efforts and campaigns to revive the tradition of sports within schools is slowly but surely being born again.
In Rivers State, Governor Rotimi Amaechi is building and has renovated hundreds of secondary schools, providing each of them with one or two functional sports facilities. He crowned his effort by celebrating one of Nigeria’s great heroes of school sports in naming the new sports complex in Port Harcourt after Adokie Amiesimaka even whilst the man is still young, alive, kicking and able to mentor a whole new generation of young boys and girls in school.
In Niger State I witnessed the revival, first-hand, of school sports under the guidance of the ‘Chief Servant’ of the State, Dr. Aliyu Babangida. I watched the very impressive performances of the young students (boys and girls) of a secondary school in the State, Government Secondary School, Bida, that represented the State and totally dominated the First Nigeria Academicals Basketball Championships for boys and girls held in Minna three weeks ago.
In Cross Rivers State, Governor Lyel Imoke has started a grassroots athletics revolution with former international athlete, Dr. Bruce Ijirigho, spear heading a strategic, long-term, athletics development programme in secondary schools throughout the State. The State has also been hosting most of the country’s Track and Field athletics competitions at all levels in the past few years. The products of this project will soon start to emerge on the national scene in the next 4 to 5 years.
In Ekiti State, Governor Kayode Fayemi has put in place facilities to drive tennis development in the State. It was not surprising, therefore, that the State Academicals team came overall first at the First Nigeria Academicals Tennis championships that took place in Ado Ekiti in April 2012. Without question, and with the role of Yemi Owoseni, the Vice-President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, who comes from the State and is the pilot of the grassroots tennis revolution, the future of Nigerian tennis is located in Ekiti State. The next 4 years will tell.
Delta State has always been solid in sports development. It has been one of the most dominant States in sports generally for years at all levels in the country. In the past few years facilities for many sports have been built in several parts of the State. It is not clear the intensity of the school sports programmes but the results from the few competitions being organised by the Nigeria School Sports Federation indicate that the State must still be succeeding at whatever it was doing at school level for the State to remain so dominant in many sports at the highest national level.
The case of Lagos State is special. One year into the government of Mr. Raji Fashola, an authentic revolution started. I have watched closely and can reveal that the seeds will soon turn to trees. In no other State is there the scope and intensity of grassroots sports development as in Lagos State. There is unprecedented action in boxing, basketball, beach football, football, table tennis and maybe some others not quite as visible. Considering how the State is harnessing the large pool of experienced coaches and other sports technocrats that abound in the State, plus new facilities sprouting everywhere and large number of corporate organisations scrambling to sponsor school events, the State is poised to reclaim its place as the citadel of sports in Nigeria in the next few years. I have no doubt about that.
The most important development however is that the State is tackling the issues of hooliganism in school sports, age-falsification and use of non-bonafide persons for schools sports competitions, and winning! In the past four years Lagos State the results at several national school sports meet may be reflecting something contrary, but I believe the results have been so because there is a deliberate and concerted attempt to be genuine and authentic in the use of students. The greater benefits will soon start to become visible with a whole army of genuinely young and talented students maturing and about to explode unto the national scene and into several national teams from schools and some higher institutions in the State. The quality and quantum of athletes that will spring from this State of Excellence will be unprecedented in the history of the State. Mind my words. Football, in particular, has been receiving unprecedented attention and support.
Now, something interesting is happening in Oyo State. This very conservative, laid back, civil service State will not break away from its established sports traditions. Even as I go round the country making ‘noises’ about reviving sports in secondary schools in the country, Oyo State has quietly and ‘conservatively’ embraced two of its four traditional sports and is working seriously at reviving the State’s lost glory in them. I do not know what is happening to cricket and swimming in the State’s sports development programmes, but table tennis and football, I know about very well. In March this year, Oyo State confirmed its place as home of table tennis when the State’s Academicals team swept most of the medals at the First Nigeria Academicals Table Tennis Championships.
In football, there is an interesting and unfolding story that underlines its efforts.
Oyo State has been organising its Governor’s Cup competition for secondary schools in the past 11 years or so. The tournament had been largely muted because the publicity and seriousness attached to them had always been low. The last edition that took place ended last weekend was as dramatic as it was different. Governor Biola Ajimobi wanted to ensure that the competition lived up its name. A ‘Governor’s Cup’ in any state must represent the highest level of everything – competition, transparency, sportsmanship, publicity, integrity and fair play.
I followed the championship very closely to see how the new revised Governor’s Cup will compliment our own effort at NASCOM to revive genuine sports for genuine students in secondary schools (Academicals) in the country. I am glad I did.
The competition was well publicised. One of the schools that got to the finals (Ogbomosho Grammar School) was disqualified on the eve of the final match. The school officials had registered an SS3 student contrary to the rules of the competition, and had indeed used another name for the player in order to hide their misdemeanour! The school was banned and the student suspended from further participation. The school that had lost to Ogbomosho Grams in the semi-finals, Muslim Community Grammar School, Otu, was recalled. It played in the final match and won the trophy!
The seriousness and quality of the competition herald the rebirth of an authentic grassroots football tradition in Oyo State. Governor Ajimobi’s direct involvement has given it integrity, credibility and a bright hope for football development within schools in the State! It is not surprising, therefore, that as a next step in this evolution, the State has accepted the offer to host the final matches of the First Edition of the Nigeria Academicals Football Championship next weekend!
Understandably, in most parts of the north of Nigeria, grassroots sports development through schools, is stunted by the debilitating effect of all manner of socio-economic, ethnic and political problems and rendered impotent.