NAN-S-22
Continuity
By Akeem Abas
Ibadan, Oct. 11, 2016 (NAN) Isiaka Salami, the Vice-Chairman, Nigeria Football Coaches Council (NFCC), on Tuesday in Ibadan blamed the problem of sports in Nigeria on lack of continuity in sports administration.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the problem started from the Ministry of Sports, where ministers were not given enough time to actualise policies before being changed.
Salami, who is also the Director of Sports at the University of Ibadan, lamented the fact that lip service was being paid to grassroots sports development.
He said Nigeria recorded a woeful performance at the last Olympics Games in Brazil because the country’s contingent embarked on training only few months to the event.
“Many countries in the world had by then rounded off their trainings, which they began four years back before Nigeria began their training,” the sports official said.
Salami, who described poverty as a great issue, lamented also the lackadaisical attitude of Nigeria’s football coaches in the performance of their professional duties.
He decried the fact that the country’s universities which ought to help in producing talents focused more on academics.
“They are rather developing athletes, instead of fine-tuning those discovered at secondary schools level,’’ the official said.
Salami said University of Ibadan was not among universities which gave concession to athletes.
“These are people who do not perform well in academics as a result of their involvement in sports.’’
He said there was the need for the country to embrace continuity in sports administration and encourage the enhancement of discovered talents from the grassroots.(NAN)
(Edited by Olawale Alabi)