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“There is an urgent need by Mr. President to take a deeper look at the deterioration in our sports development philosophy. The youths are participating in CRIMES like SPORT because we only focus on preparing our athletes for participation in competitions rather than developing our sport as an industry,” he said.
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Adelabu, who played club football with the IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan said: “It is an abuse of professional ethics to allow a nonprofessional individual to head our sporting organization. How can such a person provide direction for our growth?
Also, it has been observed that nobody is accountable for anything. That is ridiculous for a nation like Nigeria.
“The nation needs to do something about the welfare of her athletes if we expect Nigerians across the world to come and represent their country with the assurance that they will not be abandoned later in trouble time.
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He continues: “There is the porosity of scientific data on our athletes because of lack of research. We need to engage in comprehensive research from the tertiary to the primary levels for future development. Our players are not professionally managed by people using them to make money and at the club levels. There should be a thorough investigation into the way we manage sport in the country. There should be no reason why players should not be paid salaries for months.
“We need to do something about our facilities and create jobs for the youths. There are sufficient opportunities in sport to address various atrocities committed by the youths. The issue of hooliganism in sport should be tackled with all seriousness.
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