By Ben Efe

Just when Nigerians are looking forward to a new era of sports development, the vehicle that could have taken the country’s sports to the destination of excellence, has been dismantled and scrapped.

*Dalong

These were nearly the thoughts of former Nigerian international Dr. Bruce Ijirigho, who described  the recent trashing of the National Sports Commission reportedly on the orders of President Muhammad Buhari as a step backwards.

The NSC was revived in 2007 by the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo to replace the Ministry of Sports and social Development but never enjoyed any legal backing through the promulgation of an act by the National Assembly. This was after it was disbanded in 1995, when a Ministry of Sports was created by the government of Sanni Abacha. During the week Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung announced that the NSC has been scrapped again on the orders of the current President, and the director-general, Alhassan Yakmut posted to a nebulous position in the Niger Delta ministry.

“The NSC shouldn’t have been scrapped. Rather it should have been strengthened and equipped for the task of developing sports in the country,” Dr. Ijirogho lamented.

“If we dump the NSC that means the country’s sports will now be trapped in government bureaucracy. It will be difficult getting on with development, what we have done is like taking 10 steps backwards.”

He argued that it was the NSC’s direct approach that produced results for the country in the 1980’s and early 90’s when it was fully operational.

“I was a product of the system and I have seen it all. I remember the time of Pa Isaac Akioye and how he was fully on ground to monitor the athletes and the federations programmes. He knew every coach and top athlete by name. It was the foundation he laid that brought forward the world class athletes that we had,” Ijirigho argued.