Minister proffers panacea for Nigeria sports

By Tony Ubani reporting from London
As part of the hard lessons from the London 2012 Olympics, Sports Minister Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi has identified five priorities that would turn our sports around and catapult the country to the position she can be proud of in future Games.

They include; identifying five sports that give Team Nigeria competitive opportunities, restructuring the federations of these sports to make them more democratic, accountable and efficient.

Developing a sports calendar that will ensure all-year-round sports activities both within and outside the schools. Strategic engagement with the private sector with the aim to improve funding for sports and strengthen the coaching and training capabilities by developing strategic partnership with national and international bodies.

He noted that the process of rebuilding will start with the National Sports Festival in Lagos. ‘’We shall use this event to flag-off our preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and thereafter the 2016 Olympics in Brazil”, he said.