By Patrick Omorodion

The Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC has stressed the need for it to tackle the problem of its autonomy “with vigour” and put in place a Fund Raising drive to make the committee self sufficient and reliant.

obasanjo

This, its report stated, is to help extricate the body from the stranglehold of the federal government which is the major financier of the Olympic body, a development the NOC said became visible in 1976 under the leadership of then military head of state, General Olusegun Obasanjo.

Writing in its book, History of the Olympic Movement in Nigeria, the NOC stated that before the federal government took over funding of the NOC for Nigeria’s participation in the Olympics, the committee raised funds by appealing to the general public with support from the head of state or president and state governors.

According to the NOC, for Nigeria’s participation in the 1952 Olympic Games, it launched its appeal fund on November 5, 1951 and by May 1952, “some months before the Nigerian team left for the Games, the target has been reached and exceeded.”

It disclosed that for the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy, the NOC needed £8,000 but it appealed for £12,000 and raised enough for the country’s participation while in 1964 in Tokyo, Japan, the funded needed rose to £40,000 and yet the target was raised and exceeded.

Another dimension for the fund launch was introduced for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, as the NOC stated that it formed a Club 400 with the members asked to donate £400 each, adding that then head of state, General Yakubu Gowon made some grants on behalf of the Federal Government. Firms, and some individuals also donated to the fund.

The method of funding however, changed in 1976, the NOC disclosed in the book, as the federal government, then under General Olusegun Obasanjo saw the country’s participation as a prestige for it.

“The federal government became heavily committed morally and financially, voting a lump sum of N60,000 to cover all  expenses including those to be incurred by the congressmen attending various federation of sports meetings,” it stated.

It however, recommended that efforts should be made by its executive committee to regain its autonomy and begin sourcing for funds independent of government to send Nigerian athletes to major sports events like was the practice before the foray of the military into governance.