At the last Olympic Games in Paris, France, over 1,000 former, current, and incoming student-athletes represented the National Collegiate Athletics Association’s schools (NCAA) in 100 countries, and 272 won 330 medals for 26 countries. The United States, a global model in collegiate sports, which finished in the first position with 126 medals, got over 70 per cent of medals through collegiate sportsmen and women. Nigeria, a serial underperformer returned home empty-handed despite being home to 274 universities, 179 registered polytechnics, 205 accredited colleges of education, etc. As always, political leaders and sports administrators are again promising heaven on earth, stressing that Nigeria will never again return empty-handed from the Olympic Games. But ENO-ABASI SUNDAY writes that beyond the Federal Government’s declaration, empirical evidence confirms that paying lip service to sports development will always return similar results and that the giant in Nigeria can be awoken by turning tertiary institutions into breeding grounds for Olympic champions, a foundational base for future athletes, and a vital feeder system for professional sports.
Retired United States Army, Major Patrick Seun Robert, captained Ibadan Grammar School to lift Oyo State’s Principal Cup in 1985. The retired football defender thereafter led the erstwhile Oyo State Academicals to the National Sports Festival, which was held in Ilorin, Kwara State in the same year.
The military veteran, who was also a member of the Flying Eagles squad that won a silver medal at the ECOWAS competition in 1988, also told The Guardian that he laced his boots for the 3SC between 1987 and 1990. It was within this period that he also got call-ups to the Flying Eagles and the Green Eagles.
His brilliance on the pitch, he further recalled, earned him a football scholarship at Alabama A&M University. Another confirmation of his brilliance and dexterity in the round leather game, was his being named the institution’s Most Valuable Player in 1993 and 1994.
During his sporting odyssey, Robert obtained a first degree in Finance, and a Master of Science in economics from Alabama A&M University. A sterling military career also saw him being awarded the U.S. Army Bronze Star Medal, the U.S. Army Meritorious Service Medal, the U.S. Army Commendation Medal, and the U.S. Army Achievement Medal.
Upon his retirement from active military service, Robert was again recruited by the U.S Army to serve as a civilian senior logistician, in which role he was named the U.S Army Transportation Officer of The Year 2018, for his “contributions to logistics coordination, in support of U.S Army units.”
For decades, the name Patrick Chima Ekeji reverberated in Nigeria’s sporting circles as the former Nigerian footballer and sports administrator coursed his way from the football pitch to the boardroom.
Like Major Robert (retd), Ekeji manned the defence for the East Central State Academicals, which won the Manuwa Adebajo Cup in 1971.
Ekeji’s educational journey took him through St Jude’s Catholic Primary School, Amuzi, Imo State (1955); St Mathias Catholic School, Lafiaji, Lagos (1956); St George’s Primary School, Falomo, Lagos (1958–1962); St Gregory’s College, Lagos (1963–1967); Community Secondary School, Amuzi (1970); Mbaise Secondary School (WASC, 1971), and Holy Ghost College, Owerri, where he spent 1971 to 1972.
A graduate of both the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (Physical Education, 1978), and the University of Frankfurt, Germany, Ekeji a defender for both the Enugu Rangers and the defunct national team, Green Eagles in the 1970s was a member of the formidable backline that included the great Christian Chukwu, Emmanuel Okala, Kadiri Ikhana, Tunde Bamidele, Godwin Odiye, David Adiele, and Sam Ojebode among others.
Some of the highlights of Ekeji’s footballing career include an appearance with the Green Eagles, a stint with Rangers Football Club of Enugu (1977/1978), and Vasco Da Gama FC Enugu (1973–1977). During his time with the East Central State side, The Spartans won the football gold medal at the 1st National Sports Festival, in Lagos, in 1973.
After his football career, which spanned nearly two decades, Ekeji (who briefly coached the national football team in 1986) with his wealth of experience, headed to the boardroom for the task of sports administration. He rose to become the director general of the National Sports Commission until he retired from active service in 2013.
Last year, Modupe Oshikoya, an alumna of Methodist Girls High School, Yaba, Lagos, arguably the greatest female athlete in Nigeria’s track and field history was in the country to receive an award of excellence bestowed on her by the Association of Former Female Athletes of Nigeria.
In her heyday, Oshikoya ruled the continent and the Commonwealth winning five gold medals for Nigeria at the All-African Games of 1973 and 1978, including Nigeria’s first medal at the Commonwealth Games.
An Olympian in 1972 and 1976, Oshikoya who was awarded by the group in recognition of her selfless service to the country as a national athlete in the 1960s and 1970s, started laying her blocks in track/field in elementary school. Many have described her in different ways, including “The goddess of the African track and field,” and “African queen of track and field.”
In an interview with the media after the award, she recalled that returning home with bottles of 7UP (fizzy drink) and timeless wristwatches from competition sponsors encouraged her to continue in sports until “I got a scholarship. I was able to get into a boarding house as a junior girl. That helped a lot too to get away with all the problems, and things going on in my house.
Nigeria’s players and Nigeria’s US coach Rena Wakama (Front 2ndR) pose as they celebrate after winning the women’s preliminary round group B basketball match between Canada and Nigeria during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, northern France, on August 4, 2024. (Photo by Sameer AL-DOUMY / AFP)
“So, I was able to concentrate on my studies. I didn’t have to worry about problems at home anymore. They gave me peace of mind. Sports also enabled me to travel a lot and see the world, places that probably I never dreamed of going to. It opened doors for me to meet presidents and highly-placed people that I could never meet on my own. It also gave me a scholarship to go to the United States of America to further my education.”
The trio of Robert, Ekeji, and Oshikoya have something in common – they are all byproducts of the romance between academics, and sports, as well as byproducts of an effective secondary school sports system, which has now completely collapsed.
There are also several others in their league, who not only made waves in the 1970s and 1980s but represented the golden generation of university athletes that graced national teams in many sporting disciplines.
Others that fall into this category include AdokiyeAmiesimaka, Felix Owolabi, Frank Onwuachi, Alloy Agu, Edema Fuludu, Davidson Owumi, Adeola Adekola, Hameed Adio, and Ladi Babalola just to mention but a few.
Because of the absence of a sustainable grassroots sports development framework, and the gradual extinction of school sports over the decades, Nigeria has only recorded spasmodic successes in international sports. These unfortunate occurrences, which negate the country’s massive human resources endowment, have also ensured that Nigerian sports remain in its embryonic stage.
Other factors that also contribute to this ugly scenario include, official negligence, mediocrity, impunity, lack of capacity, and patriotism, as well as the absence of altruism among sports administrators.
Experts and stakeholders are, however, of the view that apart from sparse sports facilities and perennial poor funding of sports federations by the Federal Government, the biggest problem that has ensured that the country’s sporting potential remains latent, is the absence of sustainable sports development programmes that has school sports at its core. This system has benefitted the United States, the United Kingdom, and China among others over the years.
At the last Olympic Games in Paris, France, where over 50 officials and 88 athletes that represented Nigeria frittered over N9 billion and returned home empty-handed, the United States, finished at the summit of the medals table with a total of 126 medals, harvested over 70 per cent of the medals from the collegiate sports system.
Of that number, student-athletes from four universities based in California won 89 medals. The schools include the University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA), and the University of Southern California. Student-athletes from Stanford University alone won 39 medals. This number of medals outstripped medals won by seven countries at the Games.
Other universities that won medals for the United States are Harvard University (13 medals), including three gold medals won by sprinter Gabby Thomas, and cyclist Kristen Faulkner.
The reality of collegiate sportsmen increasingly forming the fulcrum of world sports was further reflected by the revelation that about 1, 000 former, current, and incoming student-athletes represented the National Collegiate Athletics Association’s schools (NCAA) in 100 different countries in Paris, with 272 of them winning 330 medals for 26 countries. Without word-mincing, therefore, no scenario paints a more lucid picture of the power of school sports in rejuvenating a country’s waning sporting fortunes like making adequate investments in school sports.
Montage of a perennial underachiever
WHILE poor coaching and a warped welfare system constitute a disincentive to sports development, the neglect of school sports by past governments clearly shows where the boat left Nigeria.
To date, Nigeria has won a paltry 27 Olympic medals over 19 appearances. A brief highlight indicates that in Atlanta, in 1996, Nigeria won two gold medals, one in the men’s Olympic football tournament, and the other in the long jump by Chioma Ajunwa. In Sydney, in 2000, the Nigerian men’s 4x400m relay team won gold, while in 2020 in Tokyo, Blessing Oborududu became the first Nigerian to win an Olympic medal in wrestling, and Ese Brume won bronze in the long jump.
Between 1950 and 2022, Nigeria competed in 14 Commonwealth Games and was absent from four, that is, 1962, 1978, 1986, and 1998. In the 14 outings, the country has won a total of 271 medals comprising 82 gold, 84 silver, and 105 bronze medals.
Nigeria has competed at every edition of the All Africa Games now known simply as African Games. Its athletes have won a total of 1,326 medals comprising 470 gold, 428 silver, and 428 bronze medals.
According to Worldometer’s elaboration of the latest United Nations data, the current population of Nigeria (Sunday, December 22, 2024) stands at 234,967,039. Blessed with one of the largest populations of youths in the world, and a median age of 18.1 years, with about 70 per cent of it being under 30, and 42 per cent under the age of 15, human development experts are quick to conclude that Nigeria’s human resources endowment can transform the country into a global sports powerhouse (if youths’ energies are properly channelled through school sports). Sadly, the government is not pulling its weight appropriately.
Nigeria’s forward #08 Asisat Oshoala runs with the ball in the women’s group C football match between Spain and Nigeria during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the La Beaujoire Stadium in Nantes on July 28, 2024. (Photo by ROMAIN PERROCHEAU / AFP)
Collegiate sports as multi-pronged blessing for athletes, countries
The National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I, II, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) schools offer scholarships to over 200,000 athletes. Yearly, Divisions One, two, and NAIA schools spend over $4 billion in athletic scholarships, even as American college sports are popular worldwide with over 20,000 international athletes participating in college athletics.
In summarising the impact of school sports BusinessofCollegeSports.com, in an article entitled “College Sports: A Cultural Phenomenon,” said: “College sports have a substantial economic impact, contributing billions of dollars annually to the economy. Universities and colleges benefit from the revenue generated through ticket sales, merchandise, broadcasting rights, and sponsorship deals. This income is often reinvested into the institutions, supporting athletic programmes, scholarships, and infrastructure development.
“College sports hold a special place in the hearts of many Americans, embodying both athletic prowess and the spirit of higher education. From the roaring crowds in packed stadiums to the fierce rivalries that span generations, college sports are a cultural phenomenon that captivates millions. They are more than just games; they are events that bring communities together, showcase young talent, and foster a sense of pride and identity.”
In England, sports not only add immense value to the English economy to the point that every £1 spent on community sport and physical activity generates nearly £4 for the country’s economy and society, statistics published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport estimate that the sports sector contributed £18.1bn to the economy in 2022 – 0.8 per cent of total economic activity – supporting around 550,000 jobs. From 2010 to 2022 the sector grew by 32.2 per cent outpacing the rate of growth in the economy more broadly (21.5 per cent).
Like in America, school sports play a significant role in the British sports industry as they provide a foundational base for future athletes, foster a culture of participation from a young age, identify potential talent early on, and contribute to the overall health and well-being of the population, which indirectly boosts the demand for sports products and services across the industry, essentially acting as a vital feeder system for professional sports.
Apart from the contributions of seven sports universities, regular Chinese universities make significant contributions to sports development through the provision of widespread physical education programmes, the cultivation of elite athletes through dedicated sports teams, conducting in-depth research into sports science, the entrenchment of the culture of physical activity among students, as well as, serving as a nursery for future sports administrators and coaches.
In a nutshell, Chinese universities contribute to sports development through Physical Education Programmes, and most universities offer comprehensive physical education courses, providing students with access to various sports and promoting lifelong fitness habits.
Sports coaching education is also receiving a serious boost as universities offer dedicated sports coaching programmes, which lead to producing qualified coaches for schools, clubs, and professional teams.
In China’s Scholar-Athlete Model, some universities promote a balance between academic pursuits and athletic excellence, encouraging student-athletes to prioritise education, while well-equipped sports facilities on university campuses provide access to quality training environments for students.
Perennial wish for sporting glory without commensurate efforts a forlorn hope
“IF wishes were horses, beggars would certainly ride,” so goes a timeless truism, which resonates with Nigeria’s perennial wish for sporting glory, but without commensurate investment, dedication, and hard work.
As of this year, Nigeria has a total number of 274 universities with 149 of them being privately owned, 63 owned by state governments, while the Federal Government owns 62 universities. The number of students enrolled in these 274 tertiary institutions as of 2024 stands at approximately 2.5 million.
The country is also home to 179 registered polytechnics, out of which 41 are owned by the Federal Government, 54 are owned by state governments, and the remaining 84 are privately owned.
Also, there are 205 accredited colleges of education and other National Certificate of Education (NCE) certificate-awarding institutions in Nigeria, consisting of 27 federal, 82 private, and 54 state colleges of education. With nearly three million students on these campuses, including postgraduate students, a lot can be achieved in sports through coordinated efforts.
Shehu Dikko
Abdul Yahaya, a policy analyst and sports enthusiast insists that Nigeria’s sojourn in the sports wilderness will prolong as long as the country continues to pay lip service to sports development.
“In November 2022, the Federal Government approved the 2022-2026 ‘Sports as a Business’ National Sports Industry Policy. That step was particularly significant as it made for the creation of an enabling environment for sports business development to thrive. In principle, that initiative ought to have fast-tracked the implementation of several steps that would have primed the sports ecosystem for optimum delivery but look at where we still are as a nation.
“Accepted that most Nigerian campuses are bereft of state-of-the-art sporting facilities, the failure of 658 tertiary institutions to produce Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medallists, in a country with a very healthy population of youths should never be acceptable if we are serious with sports development.
“The government must insist and make provisions to ensure that these institutions pay a lot of attention to collegiate sports, after all, the country’s problems that these institutions were supposed to proffer solutions to through their research are mounting daily. We need to wake up as a country because the making of a world champion transcends fleeting three to six months of camping that we have great expertise in doing ahead of sporting fiestas; it requires a lot of grit, tact, devotion, and dedication. If the government is intentional about sports development, in a couple of years the fruits would begin to sprout up.”
Why collegiate sports are ‘non-existent’ in Nigerian varsities, colleges
ACCORDING to the Director of the University of Port Harcourt Sports Institute and the Head of the Medical and Anti-Doping Commission of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Prof. Ken Anugweje, the dire financial straits experienced by public universities make the provision of needed infrastructure, laboratory equipment and consumables, etc., sheer luxury.
“However, the issue of inadequate funding is not the principal reason why our universities do not contribute to sports development. Ideally, university sports’ is the last stage of a sequence of athletes’ development programmes, which should have started at the primary school level. It is the stage that precedes professional careers in most sports. Football doesn’t quite conform to this model of development,” Anugweje stated.
He continued: “Nigerian universities do not possess the structures and programmes for effectual athletes’ development. Sports in our universities are largely recreational, although competitions such as the NUGA games and championships in a few sports are held randomly. NUGA Games are designed to be biennial, but the last one at the University of Lagos was held almost four years ago,” Anugweje pointed out.
He recalled that “American universities recognised the potentials of our athletes in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, and embarked on massive recruitment of athletes on scholarships in track and field, basketball, and football into their sports programmes. This process abated in the early 2000s because our secondary schools were no longer producing potential elite athletes. It has recently been rekindled and most of our national teams’ athletes in these sports are studying at American universities on sports scholarships. They are obviously of higher performance standards than their compatriots studying in Nigeria. Promising athletes in our universities are constantly in search of transfers to universities in the USA. This is the result of the revival of youth sports programmes in some states of the federation, notably Delta and Lagos. Here in the University of Port Harcourt, we have lost about twenty athletes, especially in athletics, to this movement in the last four years.”
Like Anugweje, the Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) maintains that the university system currently grapples with significant financial challenges and persistent industrial unrest even as “effective organisation of sports requires substantial investment, and no single institution or association can tackle this alone.
According to the acting Secretary of NUGA, Yunusa M. Bazza: “Our association is eager to collaborate with companies, organisations, marketing firms, and non-governmental organisations to fulfil our mission and objectives. Our recent courtesy visit to the Chairman of the revitalised National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, aims to explore opportunities for partnership in our quest to transform sports within the Nigerian university system.
To change narrative, Nigeria must be intentional in grassroots sports development
SINCE the President Bola Tinubu-led administration scrapped the Federal Ministry of Sports and replaced it with the National Sports Commission (which was scrapped by his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari) it has been engaged in a singsong regarding how it is going to spearhead a revolution in the sector.
For instance, last month the Federal Government promised to revive the Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA) to serve as a breeding ground for the nation’s future athletes. The government also revealed plans to establish a marketing board to enhance public/private sector partnerships aimed at moving sports to the next level.
Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) Shehu Dikko, while hosting top officials of the Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA), led by its President, Bawa Mohammed, in his Abuja office, said that the NSC intends to create a marketing board that would help sports federations to secure private sector support and address gaping funding gaps.
Earlier this month, Dikko vowed that Nigeria will never return from the Olympics empty-handed again, and pledged to work with the private sector, state governments, and organisations that are involved in structured age group development of talents in the country to ensure that Nigeria becomes a global sports power.
African Cup of Nation winner, and former captain of the defunct Green Eagles, Segun Odegbami, agrees that government is the biggest business in Nigeria, influencing every sector in profound ways. Neglecting or not making a sector a priority diminishes the sector’s impact in Nigeria.
According to him: “That the sports industry is still in its embryonic state, as far as sports business is concerned is a confirmation of the lack of essential government’s support, and that is why the sector is seriously underperforming. Beyond its common recognition as a unifying factor in the country during international engagements, there is nothing tangible and measurable that the government achieves with its lackadaisical attitude to sport.”
He regretted that: “Sports are not considered, or deployed as weapons of social engagements and development. Tertiary institutions that should know better and pursue sports development for their youths make the matter even worse with their complacency. Politicians that rule over the affairs of the nation should be better informed about sports’ possible contributions to national objectives, international relations, and collaborations.”
For Bazza: “American collegiate sports exemplify a well-organised system, guided by clear visions and objectives that drive success. In stark contrast, university sports in Nigeria lack this clarity and purpose. How many Nigerian universities have a solid sports policy? You could count them on one hand, and even fewer enforce these policies. Without a comprehensive national policy for university sports, we are doomed to repeat our mistakes, resulting in ongoing embarrassment. It’s imperative that we not only develop meaningful policies but also commit to rigorously adhere to them. Only then can we hope to elevate our university sports programmes to the standard that they deserve.”
While noting that it was time for sports federations to rise from their complacency and take meaningful action, he stressed: “We must transform our mindsets and prioritise our aspirations over mere material gains, setting our sights on achieving great goals that benefit everyone…For us at NUGA, the NSC’s plan to establish one centre of excellence at a university in each of the six geopolitical zones represents a necessary step forward. We are fully prepared to support the National Sports Commission in this initiative.”
For a former secretary general of NUGA, Bola Orodele, more than 500 tertiary institutions in Nigeria, with a student population of well over two million students, which is close to the population of Jamaica – one of the powerhouses for sprint events in the world today, this large population of youths in tertiary institutions is merely potential, but deliberate, well-thought-out actions are needed to achieve expected goals.
“In every developmental stride that has been achieved anywhere in the world, deliberate actions always come into play. Success in sports can be achieved when there is a large base at the lower level of a pyramidal structure. There must be a large base to draw from as the country moves from one level to the other until it gets to the top. The collegiate system gets its athletes from the secondary schools. How much of sports take place in secondary schools in Nigeria today?” Orodele questioned.
The former scribe added that tertiary institutions “are ‘closed’ systems that can only process what has been put into it so the sports programmes in these institutions must be fed directly through the liberal admission process, sports scholarships, flexible and supportive academic programmes that allow skilled students to combine education and sports training are essential for success.
“Others are the availability of competent sports personnel that will enhance athletes’ performance through proper training, access to good sports facilities/equipment, and periodic, but regular competitions to measure performance. We can go on and on. The USA is doing well in sports because the collegiate system allows for scouting talents all over the world to enhance its sports,” Orodele said.
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