A good chunk of the world wonders why Nigeria with all our resources, sporting talent and numbers cannot make outstanding, attention grabbing impact in the global sports arena like some black and African nations like Jamaica, Botswana and South Africa.
Even in the past when we had some, relatively speaking, good showing at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games our performance when set against our potential had been sub par. But, to come back from the Olympic Games in 2024 with zero medals is a disaster. It has nothing to do with the Minister in charge of sports be it in 1994 when we won two gold medals or in 2024 when we came back with nothing. It is an endemic systemic problem that has everything to do with the bureaucrats who run our sports from the back end. That is a discussion for another day.
Sports, in all its ramifications is the second largest employer of labour in the world only after Information Technology. Therefore, one would think that Nigeria with all its youth unemployment challenge and its resources will find it necessary to invest in sporting talents trainable coaches and sports managers to nuture our sports men and women to vie for the millions of dollars available to sports men and women by way of prize monies, contract fees etc.
To put this in context, I told tennis juniors at the CBN Junior Tennis Championship presentation in September that the winners of the 2024 U.S. Open Tennis Championship, male and female, got $3.6 million equivalent to about N6 billion in Nigeria, they screamed in disbelief. Maybe, we should do a little research and find out how much Anthony Joshua and Daniel “Adenike” Dubois, both with some Nigerian roots, got for one night of boxing or how much Usain Bolt from the four million population country of Jamaica is earning even in retirement.
It is not happening for Nigeria’s sporting youth because sports in Nigeria is largely controlled by the public sector which does not have a business mindset and are happy to be tied to the apron strings of government. Sports is big business and we need individuals and organisations with an MBA orientation to invade the sports space and give our youth the opportunity to use their talent to create wealth.
This is where the Sports Performance Reward Fund (SPRF) comes in as a breath of fresh air for Nigeria Sports.
The SPRF was set up as a Trust by internationally reputable professional men and women to raise the sum of N10 billion that will be warehoused for Nigerian sports men and women who win medals at the Olympics, Commonwealth, the All Africa Games and selected major World Championships.
The plan is to reward Olympic Gold with N10 million, Silver N7.5 million and Bronze with N5 million. Commonwealth Gold will attract N5 million, Silver N3 million and Bronze N2 million while the All Africa Games and other major World Championships will attract N3 million, N2 million and N1 million for Gold, Silver and Bronze respectively.
These rewards will definitely have some fallouts. First, it will draw private sector investment to Nigerian sports knowing there is a sure reward for podium erformance at the stated events. The private sector works on the basis of investment and the hope for a return on the investment (profit) consideration. Therefore a businessman who knows that if he sets up a boxing gym and produces five Olympic gold medallists he is guaranteed N50 million will take the chance. The Santa Monica track in Carlifornia that has produced over 40 Olympic medals is one track and it is private. Secondly, it will motivate our youth to direct their energy to sports rather than to the deviant things some of them are involved in at the moment.
We have to deal with the fact in Nigeria when people hear ‘fund raising” and billions, the first things that run across their minds are ‘scam’ and ‘corruption’. However, a look at the international standing and pedigree of the persons who constitute the Board of Trustees and the transparency model will wipe such fears away.
The Board of Trustees has Dr Ahmadu Musa Kida, a former Deputy Managing Director of Total Energies and presently an Executive Director as President. The Board has three Vice Presidents: H. Odein Ajumogobia, a former Minister of Petroleum and later Minister of Foreign Affairs as Vice President National; Prof. Wale Sulllaiman, a globally acclaimed Neuro Surgean and President of RNZ Global as Vice President Diaspora and Ifueko Omogui-Okauro, acclaimed and highly successful first lady chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) as Vice President Finance.
Others are Dr Godfrey Achilihu, another world acclaimed Cardiologist and MD Heartland Cardiolgists, Dr Joe Adom Kyaagba, an Architect and CEO of Capital Projects Consultants; Chioma Ajunwa, Nigeria first Olymic Gold medalist, Kanu Nwankwo, another Olympic Gold medalist and once Captain of the Super Eagles; Yusuf Datti a Financial Consultant and director Dala Hard Courts Foundation; Patricia Sulaiman, Assoc. Prof and Director RNZ Global and Godwin Kienka fiimc as the Executive Secretary.
In terms of transparency, the threshold is truly very high. All contributions are reflected on the website: https://sprf.com.ng as well as the names of the donors unless specifically requested but the amount is still out there. Payments will also be reflected on the website and the amount in the kitty will be on the website for all stakeholders and interested parties to see.
Many who are conversant with this project say the target is too low for a country of over 200 million people with so many Naira-billionaires. They argue that if 1000 persons donate N10, million each to the Fund or 2000 persons and corporations contribute N5 million, the Fund will easily meet the target and motivate our teeming sporting youth to focus their energy and talent on sports.
I guess it’s a challenge to Nigerian governments at Federal and State Levels as well as corporations, individulas and NGOs that rather than buy motor cycles for young men and sowing machines for our young women, they will think of contributing to the Fund to challenge our sporting youth to aim for the millions of dollars out here to change their fortunes, those of their families and then ultimately make Nigeria a great sporting nation.
Kienka is the Author, Sports in Nigeria – Going Round in Circles.
