Ex-international and former Bendel Insurance star, Francis Moniedafe, who resides in U.S.A, in this open letter, sets the sports template for President-Elect Mohammadu Buhari, who he tasks to lay a strong sports legacy for the generation yet unborn. His Excellency,

Your election as Nigeria’s President on March 28, 2015 was both welcoming and re-assuring. We, the ex-Nigerian sportsmen, had hoped for a long awaited change not only in the management of sports but also in the management of the country’s affairs. We dreamed of it, longed for it, and during the campaigns we began to think that at last our dreams would come true. In spite of the initial postponement from February 14 to March 28, the elections came and it became a major victory for change.

Mr. President, I know you have an agenda for change as you have reiterated your plans during the campaign weeks and months and you have remained unwavering. I will focus my attention on the sports sector.

It is a sector where your first coming as Nigeria’s Head of State back in 1983 brought Nigeria its first global trophy two years after. That was in August 1985 when our U16 football team won the inaugural U16 FIFA World Cup in China.

That win appeared as a signal of your leadership. Here we are, exactly 30 years later, you have arrived again to lead Nigeria and an opportunity to signal a major change in Nigeria’s sport. As a close follower of Nigerian sports, you are aware that the sector has floundered time after time. You have voiced a need for change and opportunity beckons.

As you know, our floundering is not because there are no talents in Nigeria’s sports. Nigeria is an unending conveyor belt of talents in any sport, both individual and team sports. We have proven this intermittently and there is no reason why we should not do so in a more consistent and sustained basis. The change is a goal to achieve sports excellence in a more consistent and sustained basis. It can be done.

However, to achieve this is to make one conscious decision. You must appoint a knowledgeable and ex-sports person at the helm of sports in Nigeria. We cannot afford another Sports Minister who has little or no knowledge of sports. A person who has not played sports at the top level, has not lived it, and has not sweated it may not help our sports. There are several Nigerian men and women who have played sports and who are highly educated.

They are are highly qualified, and are committed to putting Nigerian sports in the position to achieve consistently. These men and women can be found in both Nigeria and overseas. Let me add that sports should not be considered as an afterthought as it has been construed in the past. Often, it was considered a place where political appointees who ordinarily are not fit for other portfolios may be sequestered. Sport is a field that has been critical to our nation’s unity, development of its youth, and to national pride.

As you know, there are few things that bring Nigerians together as watching the country participate at the Olympics. Sport is a big tool for our national development in the schools and the competitive arena. Additionally, remember how proud all of us were to be identified as Nigerians after winning the soccer gold at the 1996 Olympics! Thus, sports is an important endeavor and one in which the appointment of who heads it must be well thought.

As you step into office late on May 29, 2015 remember that you begin a legacy that we hope will be long remembered after your tenure. The decisions you take will go a long way in determining that legacy. It is in that light that I have written this open letter to urge you to make the change that will count in sports. I trust that you will not disappoint. May God Bless you.

Sincerely,

Francis Moniedafe

Ex-Green Eagles and Bendel Insurance FC