Uduaghan Wants Long-Term Planning For Sports Development

*Gets Olympic Sports Personality Award

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State has said the country needs to look towards having a long term planning system for the development of sports.

Uduaghan made this observation while declaring the Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, open in Asaba, Delta State capital, on Thursday.

The governor pointed out that with this, the dwindling fortunes of sports in Nigeria will be revived and the country put on the world map of sports. He said the present ad-hoc approach will do no good to Nigeria, which is seen as the giant of Africa.

Uduaghan suggested that different states of the federal should also promote grassroots sports by concentrating in sporting activities in areas they have comparative advantage.

“States must provide the needed raw materials for the federal government to polish, grassroots sports must be encouraged in this country and Nigeria must be involved in sports politics at the international level,” he opined.

According to him, Nigeria did not prepare well to defend her titled at the 2013 African Cup of Nations won in South Africa, which cost the country a qualification ticket in its 2015 edition.

He warned Nigerians to stop apportioning blames but go back to the drawing board and prepare for forthcoming championships.

“This is not the time to blame, if we engage in the blame game, we will not be able to get up, the challenge of falling is not about the fall but the ability to get up after the fall and get it right,” he said.

In his words, “After winning the African Cup of Nations, we went to sleep, we have to plan to succeed again, this is the time to strategize.”

He added that, “We must not leave sports in the hands of the federal government alone, all states must identify its sports and sportsmen and develop them for the country because if all states develop their potentials in sports, Nigeria will be difficult to beat in sports meet.”

Uduaghan, who bagged the Olympic Sports Personality award at the occasion, disclosed that his administration was investing heavily in sports development because of the Delta Beyond Oil economic development model,  noting that with active participation in sporting activities, the youths would be positively engaged and called on sports administrators in the country to have retirement programmes for sports men and women.

“We have it as a policy that any athlete who wins a gold medal in Delta State, gets automatic employment into the Delta State Public Service so that when you are no longer active, you have a paid employment and at your old age, you also get your pension because that is one of the ways we believe we can encourage the young ones to take up sports,” he said.

The Minister of Sports, Tamuno Dangogo and Chairman, National Sports Commission who was represented at the occasion by Bolaji Ojo-Oba thanked Uduaghan for his support and contributions towards sports development in the country.

He explained that the annual general meeting of the NOC was an opportunity for sports administrators to rub minds on issues affecting sports development and promised cooperation with the NOC on sports development issues and moving sports forward in the country.

The member representing Nigeria at the International Olympic Committee, Abdul Gumel challenged delegates to deliberate on ways to make Nigeria excel at sports competitions with the President, Nigeria Olympic Committee, Sam Ndanusa saying that the AGM was to elect new officers to run the affairs of the committee for the next four years.

President of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria, Solomon Ogba also bagged Distinguished Sports Administrator award while Blessing Okagbare got the Best Current Athlete award and the Minister of Sports, Tamuno Dangogo got the Sports Development Award.

The Bank of Industry got the Outstanding Developing Partners award, Segun Toriola (Distinguished Athletes Merit Award). Post-humus awards were given to late Raheem Adejumo and late Abraham Odia for their contributions to sports development in the country.