By Eddie Akalonu

AS Nigeria marks 52 years as an independent country tomorrow, former Edo State Commissioner of Sports, Brown Ebewele, has stated that sports over the past 52 years of country’s self rule has been mirred by  inconsistent policies in all ramifications.

He said this encompasses issues as policy implementation, sports promotion and development and particularly athletes programming and development.

“Today we do well and tomorrow we fail to do well”, he said, adding, “there is no commitment by those entrusted with administering sports and there has been no clear-cut direction for sports these years.”

The former national decathlon champion, who was also one time Edo State director  sports stated that Nigeria did better in sports in the 1970s than later years.

On why he thought sports fared better in the 1970s, he said “governments at all levels then were committed, the National Sports Festival was developed and implemented in a fashion to achieve that purpose but it’s no more the same today. Government gave adequate attention for facility development along-side athlete training and welfare and of course, performance was at it’s peak.

Flags of various nations, including Norway (C) and Nigeria (2nd-R), are displayed during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 12, 2012 in London. Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympic Games. AFP PHOTO

Government paid attention to life of an athlete after his/ her competition years because the NSC as its agency, sent people to school on scholarship for training either as coaches, organising secretaries and administrators so as to have the right manpower base for sports. That policy was suddenly stopped without any reason and  those with paper qualification now dominate the system.

You could see that the few times we were able to do well in the 80s and 90s was an over-flow of the work done by administrators of the 70s. That was because government in those years placed sports as a cardinal instrument for youth development.

But today people, rather than plan and work their way to success, cut corners, hence poor funding, lip service to welfare of athletes and team and of course, inconsistency of policy is a hindrance to sports. Administrators lack vision and of course corruption in the system has led to dwindling fortunes. Until we are able to return to the level attained in the 70s, I would say it’s low marks ,” he stated.