Sports Minister, John Enoh, has said that his ministry has met all the sports federations’ fund needs for qualifiers to the forthcoming Olympic Games, adding that the Federal Government is also doing everything possible to ensure that the country puts up a credible performance in Paris.
The 2024 Olympic Games will hold from July 26 to August 11 in Paris, France.
Speaking in Lagos at the weekend, Enoh said his ministry has been in touch with the sports federations on their preparations for the Games, adding that although the country is going through a harsh economic period, it has been able to fulfill its obligations to the federations.
Some of the federations, including the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) and the Wrestling Federation (NWF), have complained that poor funding has hampered their preparations for the Games, saying that the money, when released, is usually not enough to meet their needs.
But the minister said his ministry has met all its financial obligations to the federations, adding, “For basketball, the issue is that they were not able to qualify for the Olympics even when we hosted the qualifiers here. That is not the fault of the ministry.”
He disclosed that the Federal Government would soon reorganise the federations to make them more effective, saying: “We cannot make the impact we desire without reforming the various federations because they drive the development of the sector.
“It is our responsibility to change the narrative in our sports. We may not have the best of infrastructure, but we have the number in talents and followership that makes Nigeria one of the biggest nations in sporting excellence.”
He called on the private sector to key into the various programmes of the Federal Government, saying that there are several benefits to reap from investing in sports.
