N12 Billion Paris Olympic Tourism: A Wasteful Blow To Nigeria's Fragile Economy, Sports Development Drifting Backwards in Nigeria - Ogun SWAN Chairman

By: Abdulwasiu Akintunde, Israel Adeleke

Given the fact that the Federal Government reportedly voted a whooping N12 billion for Nigeria's participation in the just-concluded Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Chairman of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Ogun State Chapter, Michael Ogunsiyi, has classified the adventure as mere sports tourism and an abysmal waste of national resources in the face of the country's scarce financial stability. 

The SWAN Chairman made this disclosure during an exclusive interview with OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News in Abeokuta, stating that the current state of affairs in Nigerian sports is nothing short of a catastrophe. 

The Sports Writers Chairman in his response to the question, "What's your own assessment of the performance of Team Nigeria at the just-concluded Paris 2024 Olympics game?" told our correspondents that "It is a glaring example of mismanagement and waste, especially given the country's fragile economic condition. The reckless expenditure of national resources on ventures that yield no results calls for accountability at the highest level"

He further stated that in a saner clime, the Minister responsible for the underwhelming outing should have stepped down voluntarily, taking responsibility for the shameful outcomes that have unfolded under his leadership, instead of placating the country with an hurriedly organized half-hearted apology, tendered by him to the country.

Comrade Ogunsiji also noted that since the appointment of the Minister,there have been no significant developmental strides within the sports sector in the country that bears results to show for it, rather, Nigeria’s standing in African football has nose-dived. 

The SWAN Chairman further revealed that the national football team, the Super Eagles, has been left without a coach for a staggering period of three months, and our referees remain underdeveloped for international competitions.

Moreover, he expressed his utter disappointment with the decision to spend a colossal N12 billion on a lavish trip to Paris, which yielded no concrete results,noting that coming back home with no single medal is appalling. 

According to him, "There must be an immediate investigation into how this money was allocated and who benefited from it".

Ogunsiji observed that in stark contrast, the English Football Association (FA) recently reported a revenue of £2 billion from the Premier League during the 2023/24 season. This highlights the vast economic potential of sports when properly managed. 

Unfortunately, the Nigerian sports ministry has failed to adopt a similar approach to boost the country's internally generated revenue (IGR), instead choosing to squander limited resources on frivolous activities not backed up with goal-oriented targets or specific commitments to the training process and human capacity development.

Ahead of the next Olympic Games in 2028, the Chairman advised that "...the Federal Government, through the sports ministry, should mandate that sports become a core part of the school curriculum at all levels up to tertiary institutions,not merely treated as a leisure activity. Sports development must be purposeful and strategic." he noted.

In his words, "Take Spain, for example. Their current dominance in football is the result of a decade-long effort. After the era of stars like Xavi, Iniesta, and Puyol, they returned to the basics, investing in development programs that nurtured young talents from the U-13 level all the way to the senior national team."

"Nigeria, on the other hand, abandons its youth talent after junior competitions, focusing instead on seeking ready-made players of Nigerian descent from European leagues. This short-term approach to sports management is deeply flawed. Our strategy revolves around preparing for competitions rather than long-term development. We only gather athletes and players when a tournament is approaching, neglecting the importance of continuous growth and training," Ogunsiji emphasized. 

"What has happened to our inter-house sports, inter-school sports? What do we have today in our primary and secondary schools?. Where is the La Liga U-13 scouting players handled by Ex-international, Mutiu Adepoju.? It is this set of players that should form the fulcrum of our national teams from U-17 to the senior national team in the next 10 Years. Nigeria is a failed nation in sports,noting that the country only concentrates on strategizing how to win elections during our periodic rigmarole political elections but hurriedly gathers sports men when tournaments arrive." the Sports Writers Association Chairman concludes.