The 18th annual inter-house sports competition of the Olatunde Lawrence Memorial Schools, Nursary and Primary held at the Gaskiya Estate Mini Stadium, Lagos. Ikamt Babatunde of yellow house leading Okpe Sarah of green house and Latifat Ibrahim in the 50m girls event for nursary pupils. Photo by Sylva Eleanya.
By Caleb Ayansina
ABUJA – The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has decried the lackadaisical attitude of the Federal Ministry of Education towards promoting sports development in the country.
The Association, who is planning Nigeria Students Unity Games (NISUGA) for talent hunting, said non-cooperation of the ministry with sport commission had made the tempo of sports development in Nigeria to be at a snail speed.
The NANS Director of Sport, Com. Godwin Erheriene, who stated this at a press conference in Abuja, maintained that this was responsible for the abysmal performance of the Nigeria contingent at the just concluded World University Games in South Korea and inability to hold the 2015 Nigerian Universities Games (NUGA).
“These are twin national shames and it is as a result of lack of sponsorship from the Federal Ministry of Education which is tasked with this particular duty.
“It is quite saddening that Federal Ministry of Education and its agencies which have critical roles to play vis-a-vis intertwining the synergy between sports and education have rather gone to sleep in open light while our campus sports facilities and activities rot away.
“Their actions much more than words tell us that they care the least about the sporting potentials of the over 40 million young Nigerians in our school and campuses.
“All these anomalies and lack luster attitude of the ministry and its agencies need to be corrected urgently for our sporting sector to survive,” he said.
The students body described the forthcoming NISUGA as first of its kind to host competitions among all strata of tertiary institutions from Monotechnics, Colleges of Education, Polytechnics and through to Universities to give all participants a sense of pride and integration in the sports/education plexus.
“NISUGA fiesta will spell a new dawn in the annals of Nigeria’s sporting history and much more it will play key roles in putting to rest dichotomy in the choice institutions by Nigerian Students,” it added.
Erheriene called on the leadership of the National Sport Commission and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to support the competition, lauding their contributions so far.
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