Former Minister of Sports, Dr Tamuno Danagogo has identified lack of political will to implement the brilliant blueprint available to government, as the bane of sports development in Nigeria.
Danagogo said in Port Harcourt on Tuesday that as a minister, he met a well documented programme for sports development.
He said those saying that there was no plan for sports development in the country, might have not had the opportunity to see the document.
According to Danagogo, after Nigeria`s bad outing in the 2012 London Olympics, former President Goodluck Jonathan convened a national sports summit, which brought together everyone that mattered in sports.
“They proffered solutions. They came up with modalities, blueprints, plans and programmes on what to do to develop sports.
“The document contained plan for grassroots sports development, a sustained and well structured stream of income for sports, even camping (local and foreign) preparations for competitions.
“We are not lacking in plans and programmes. The document I met is bigger than Chambers dictionary. What we are lacking is implementation,” he said.
Danagogo said it was worrisome that money meant for preparation of athletes in Nigeria would always be released a week or few days to any competition.
He said the avoidable situation had continued unabated and wondered why things should be like this. “As a Minister, I proposed a “Sports development Fund’’, where we will invite stakeholders in the country and business men that have been supporting sports to contribute whatever they to support sports.
“The government, sports and business community were all expected to make contributions. The chairman of the trust fund will be highest private donor and the Minister of Sports as vice,” he said.
Danagogo said a fund management company would have managed it, with the Director General of the then National Sports Commission (NSC), as a member.
He said other members would be drawn from stakeholders, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), sports heroes and heroines.
(NAN)
