We won’t allow cricket die in Nigeria- Onyema

In a chat with Grassroots sports, Onyama said with the way the sport is going down ward in the country, if nothing is done, the beautiful game of cricket may go into extinction completely. In order to stop the game from extinction, he said, his club has decided to work hand-in-hand with the Nigerian Cricket […]

In a chat with Grassroots sports, Onyama said with the way the sport is going down ward in the country, if nothing is done, the beautiful game of cricket may go into extinction completely.

In order to stop the game from extinction, he said, his club has decided to work hand-in-hand with the Nigerian Cricket Federation, saying they have taken the sport to secondary schools within the Federal Capital Territory.

“At the club level, we are working with the Nigerian Cricket Federation, to ensure that the game is institutionalised in Nigerian schools. Taking the game to the grown-ups is going to be a complete failure, because they will not be receptive to the game.

“That is why we have designed a catch-them-young strategy aimed at creating affection for the game in the minds of the pupil. Once we are able to catch them young, the future of the game in Nigeria will be bright.

“At our own level (Abuja Cricket Club), we have taken the sport to about five secondary schools within Abuja and the responses are very fantastic and encouraging. Now we have some schools proprietors and principals coming to meet us so that we can introduce the game in their schools. In those schools where we have our presence, we donated cricket kits, balls and take some of the pupils to our training ground at the Abuja National Stadium,” Onyema said.

Onyema maintained that without the development of the game from the grassroots, all efforts aimed at popularizing the game in Nigeria will not yield any fruit, adding that very soon, there will be cricket competitions among secondary schools within the FCT, which will attract some juicy prizes.

“I came in contact with cricket in my secondary school days at the Government Secondary School, Afikpo, Ebonyi State. Then, we had some Indian teachers who introduced the game to us. Surprising enough, while most of my school colleagues were busy running after inflated leather (football), few of us chose cricket. And since then, my love for the game has not reduced and will never reduce. That is what we want to achieve with the school cricket initiative,” the president said.

Asked what he is doing personally to make cricket a household sport in Nigeria, Onyema said, “From time to time I do purchase cricket kits and send them to the school (Government Secondary School, Afikpo) where I graduated from. I also installed internet facility in the school just to ensure that the pupils keep in touch with all developments taken place in the cricket world.”

He disclosed that for the great love they have for cricket, the Indian and Pakistani communities residing in Abuja have contributed immensely in terms of funding and manpower, adding that currently there are some Indians helping the club to train school pupils the rudiments of the game.

“With the way things are going, our dream of seeing  Nigeria play alongside India, Pakistan Great Britain, etc in cricket competitions and having cricket clubs competing in a very strong cricket league in the country will soon materialize”, he assured.