DAMNING NEW YEAR SHOCKER: NIGERIA'S SPORTS WOES 'LL CONTINUE IN 2012 - NGEREM

The out gone 2011 left many sports followers in Nigeria disappointed owing largely to the many failures that were recorded in it. Now, with 2012 here with us, prayers of many in this Olympic year is that Nigeria's sporting glory should be restored. But on the contrary, a seasoned sports administrator, Dan Ngerem postulated that Nigeria still remains very faraway from the Promised Land.

Ngerem is no stranger to the sporting fraternity, especially given his dossier as a man that had continually supported sports development at the grassroots level and having administered athletics as a former president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

In this New Year no-holds-bared interview with Sunday Sunsports at his Victoria Island office, Ngerem gave reasons Nigeria has remained stuck in the quicksand and is not in a hurry to get out of it. Excerpts:

Sir, 2011 was really bad for Nigerian sports, how best should we approach 2012, which is an Olympic year?

For the past six years, we've been saying virtually the same thing, but it appears that those who are in-charge of our sports are not listening. If you watch very carefully, what Nigeria is doing is to vote billions of naira to participate in competitions and also host competitions. For all you may want to know, we're at ground zero. And the reason for this is that there's no school sports platform for development. So, we have no programme for harnessing our athletes but we simply can't continue like this.

At the Beijing 2008 Olympics for instance, we had athletes, who showed real potentials, but since that time till now, nothing has been done to help them optimise their talents for the benefit of the nation. We're just six months away from the London 2012 Olympics and no plan has been made towards ensuring success at the global event. That has been the story since we began the current democratic dispensation in the country. It's sad and regrettable. Given what we budget and spend on sports is evidence that the finances are there, but they are just being wasted and no one is asking questions quite unlike in other climes where administrators give account of every kobo they spend.

So, for me, there's no plan for sports in Nigeria and that is a fundamental problem. Secondly, we have neglected school sports from which fresh talents are drawn to replace the ageing ones. With only six months to the Olympics, what steps should be taken for Nigeria to record success at the London Games?

It's almost too late now and as it is, we're going to rely on the usual Nigerian spirit once again for miracles to happen. We're talking about six months to a major event, which its build-up begins in February/March when the World Indoor Championships will hold and culminate into the Olympic Games proper. At the moment, South Africa is fine-tuning the athletes, who will represent the country at the Games as well as having in focus the Paralympics well ahead of the time. They have major banks and other big sponsors, who are supporting and they are serious with their preparations.

As for Nigeria, I don't see any seriousness in our preparations. What we'll be looking forward to like it is always the case is the doggedness and sheer brilliance that come from some of out athletes. So, rather than bother ourselves with things that are unrealistic, we should start working towards the next Olympic Games in 2016. Whatever money we generate now should be channelled towards making the 2016 Games a success. Where does the National Sports Commission (NSC), the body charged of developing sports programmes in the country come in?

There is an issue with the NSC that has not been taken care of. There should be a board in place to run the Commission because this situation where every minister sees sports as a launch pad for contesting for the governorship office in his state is not in the interest of our sports. It's a sad commentary that those in charged with our sports don't see it as serious business.

In recent time, two ministers of sports have left the ministry the same way. The last one left to pick the governorship ticket in Sokoto State, thereby leaving a big vacuum with just six months to the London Games. This is a man who set up the Oneya Committee that was charged to refocus football in the country, given the crisis that had bedevilled our sports in the recent time. But on the day the committee was submitting its report the minister announced his resignation. Yet, this is a Commission that would collect billions of naira with nothing to show for it at the end of the day. That shows that we're operating without plans with nothing good to come out by the end of the day.

So, to move forward, we must as a matter of necessity reconstitute the NSC properly because with the way it is at the moment, it's like an illegal institution that is not recognised by the government, moreover, the National Assembly does not have any statutory legal backing for the NSC.

Sports has become a lucrative business in the world, but Nigeria is not tapping into this prospect properly, why?

The corporate world remains the biggest partners that can help drive our sports forward. But what happened to the Team Nigeria concept? Why did they kill that idea? The reason, if I can hazard a guess, is that no one wants to account for the money that comes via that channel. No corporate organisation will give you money that you will not account for.

The sprints in the past used to be Nigeria's stronghold, where did we lose the grip?

We usually fail because we have refused to plan. The money that we spend here, all the Caribbean countries put together don't have it. When I was the president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, I had to go to the Bahamas to find out why they always beat us. I couldn't imagine that with a total population of just 300,000, they could plan effectively. In Nassau, where I visited, they did not even have tartan tracks; it was the IAAF that put one for them there. My findings boiled down to planning, budgeting and getting to meet the parameters and objectives that were set.

The athletes who work hard here in Nigeria are never rewarded appropriately. We make promises to them, which are never kept. Let's take our minds back to the late Sam Okwaraji, who died in active service to his fatherland. The promises made to his family are still unfulfilled. In 2002, I took Uchenna Emedolu to see President Olusegun Obasanjo at the Aso Rock Villa, and the then president promised to name a street in honour of the athlete, but till date, despite several protestation, nothing has been done in that regard. The big question is why would a John Mikel Obi or Yakubu Aiyegbeni risk his legs for a country that does not value him. Why would I want my son to represent Nigeria when the country does not care about his welfare?

Another example is the late Alhaji A.K. Amu, who lived and died for athletics. This was a man who rose to the position of life president of African athletics. What was done for him? It's not just about money, but there are spiritual aspects to some of these things that we don't understand. We must give respect to whoever honour is due. May the soul of Sunday Bada rest in peace, but I ask; what will the authorities do for him?

When we were cheating and cutting corners to win championships and people were shouting, they were labelled unpatriotic, but look at where it has left our football today. We're practically on our knees. Truth is the same yesterday, today and forever.