The role of ministry in Nigerian sports

Sports Minister, Enoh with Nigerian athletes at the African Games in Ghana

An interesting news report ‘provokes’ this article.

Ordinarily, I would not attempt to delve again into a controversial subject that has created the most crisis and confusion in Nigerian sports administration through the decades. The more one discusses it, the more confusing it gets. Currently, there is no clear understanding in the separation of the roles and responsibilities of government, from those of the various sports federations.

On this matter, there are too many ‘experts’.

One wonders with what authority the different voices back the varied positions they take on such an esoteric subject. Most of those that knew how things worked ‘successfully’ in the past, and why, are either no longer alive, or are completely outside the present-day sports loop.

Those that are there now are either victims of the more recent failing adaptations, or are a part of this excursion into the bush led by the ‘blind’ as guide.

The country is today still swimming in uncharted territory that is leading to more confusion on the vexed issue of roles and responsibilities. What is going on now is a fanciful adoption of some foreign templates that may have worked in more developed climes, but surely have been flailing in the Third-World setting of Nigeria.

The President of the Nigeria Amputee Football Federation was on television some days ago. The Amputee football national team has been in camp preparing for the Amputee Football African Cup of Nations holding in Cairo, Egypt, from April 19 to 28, 2024.

The President, Paul Maduakor, as is the practise with every other sports federation president, says that the federation has completed its responsibility of assembling,