Since Dr. (Chief) Patrick Ekeji’s retirement was announced two weeks ago, there have been mixed reactions from many people on how he ran the National Sports Commission (NSC) in his capacity as director-general which began in 2009 and ended in April 2013.

The Director General, normally should be the engine room of sports in the country, the sports minister being a political appointee. The Presidency, however takes critical decisions on matters relating to funding and leaves administration of sports for NSC.

The recent comments and interviews published in the Vangaurd Online (April 24 & April 26, 2013) respectively especially from the former Rivers State Attorney-General Adokiye Amiesimaka and former NFA Chairman Kojo Williams, both harsh critics of Ekeji and the National Sports Commission (NSC), have caught my attention. As a consequence, I was compelled to share my views on some of the salient points raised by Amiesimaka and Williams. Sports development, administration and coaching are complex and complicated undertakings in Nigeria.

To begin with, I agree with Amiesimaka that “Nigeria will continue to fail under the sports ministry” system. We can learn one or two things from the National Universities Commission’s structure and framework. Amiesimaka believed strongly that the National Sports Commission as it is now has no legal, moral and legislative authority to function effectively.

I also agree with Williams that “the standard of African football is low” and that we have a “mediocre league.” To rebuild our sports infrastructure including coaching and administration, Williams argues that we need “a philosophy of football development, a philosophy that takes us from youth U-10, U-15, U-17, U-20 to the senior nation team.” Since Minister Bolaji Abdullahi took over before the London Olympics, he has made pronouncements about changes and adjustments that offer promise but offendS seasoned stakeholders because of lack of stiff action. One of such announcements is the newly formed NASCOM designed to address the concerns raised by Amiesimaka and Williams.

Amiesimaka said that Ekeji failed to develop sports. He said “look at the various sports federations, see the way they were set up, see the way they are run, see the way they are funded.” Furthermore, he said that “I am disappointed that he [Ekeji] had an opportunity, a golden opportunity to make a mark for himself but he failed to do so because he was too conscious of the interests of those around him.”

Williams is reserving judgment on Ekeji. Both Amiesmaka and Williams have interacted extensively with Ekeji and can pass judgment. For example, since the London 2012 Olympics debacle, the Nigeria sports community including the federal government, has been attempting to find lasting solutions to the problems facing sports especially the problems facing elite athletes in international competitions. In October 2012, the Federal Government organized the first National Sport Retreat 2012.  Before the retreat, Chairmen of both the Senate and House Committees on Sports organized hearing and workshops to signal a new thinking  and a new commitment to sports. Even the Senate President David Mark, who now has a stadium in his name in his state, made strong statements in support of a new direction.

For me, Chief Ekeji is not the problem of sports development. In America where individualism thrives, one person can make a big impact. In Nigeria, the success of a team is shared by the whole.

Ask Siasia and now Keshi. The problem may well be in our political, socio-cultural, and the lack of a middle class to provide the financial base for sports development, as seen in developed nations. Ekeji’s primary responsibility was not to develop sports but to administer and provide enabling policies and guidelines, focus and direction. He seemed to have achieved that.

The main problems remains the overly politicized, overly corrupt, overly ineptitude of the technical team including coaches, and overly insensitive sports administrators, who parade themselves as “know it all and do it all.”

But I am encouraged when the NSC announced the creation of the High Performance Sports Directorate. This will perhaps be one of the legacies of Chief Ekeji. If done well the directorate may be the catalyst needed to begin the true transformation of sports in Nigeria.

To have a lasting positive effect, the directorate must create a system, structure, framework, and process that should be holistic, qualitative, and integrative. NSC has also announced that six elite sports will be properly developed and funded, and will be run through the directorate. NSC has begun the process of identifying high and performance directors to help prepare young and talented athletes compete exceptionally in regional and international competitions.

Since 2009, I have been in contact with Chief Ekeji and we have been sharing ideas, information and discussing how Nigerians in Diaspora can contribute to national sports development. Two weeks before he retired I had the opportunity to spend a week with him in Abuja to learn more about the challenges facing sports development in Nigeria.

The High Performance Sports Directorate, another pronouncement of the minister Abdullahi, may well be a game changing strategy. This is the creation of Chief Ekeji. If all goes well, Chief Ekeji will be positioned to make substantial contribution in real terms in his retirement. I am expected to be part of the new vision.

By Dr. Sadig Abdullahi, Florida, USA