Solving Nigeria’s unending sports development challenge

Segun Odegbami

Nigeria’s sports development suffered a major derailment between 2004 and 2006. That situation sustains till now, unfortunately. Until, the ‘train’ is put back on the track, no proper development may be able to take place.

This sad state of affairs was created inadvertently by government (the Ministry of Sports) in the process of trying to stop a ‘rebel’ group in Nigerian football that wanted to perpetuate itself in office, and halt government’s seeming control of football leadership in the country.

The product of that ‘confrontation’ created a ‘virus’ that has infected all other sports federations and even the architecture of sports administration in the country.

In short, the struggle for control of the leadership of the Nigeria Football Association during the elections of 2004/2006 is the root cause of the ineffectiveness of essential interventions by the sports ministry since then to stimulate development. Needless to go into the minute details of that event here even though a brief summary will provide some background to my position.

In 2004 to 2006, the Ministry of Sports was tied in knots. Its power was rendered impotent by Ibrahim Galadima who was drawing power from the Independence clause in the then constitution of the NFA to outlaw any external interference (including by the NFA’s primary funder, the government) in its affairs as a means to reinstating himself as Chairman. With FIFA’s threat dangled over Nigeria’s head should the government interfere, Galadima temporarily had his way, reinstalled himself, but drew government’s ire in the process. That confrontation cost Nigeria a World Cup ticket, and tied down Nigerian football from any major development for the next two years.

No one fights