Challenges Facing Sports Development In Niger State – Independent Newspaper Nigeria

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MINNA – News that Niger Tornadoes Football club’s Technical Crew was dissolved few days after their last encounter with visiting Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC), in the concluding encounter of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) ‘26, ending in a lone goal advantage to the host via a penalty kick by Rasheed Dabai which saved the team from relegation, did not come to many sports lovers and supporters of the club as a surprise. What many sports analysts have been anxiously waiting to hear is what the state government is doing to check what could have caused the dwindling sports fortunes which caused the near relegation of Niger Tornadoes and also general downturn in the sector which many believed to have been fractionalized politically, tribally, and religiously.

The statement which came as “Breaking News”, dropped on Niger state SWAN platform by the state Chairman, Alhassan Mohammed Kutigi, who doubles as the Assistant image maker of the club, declared, “Niger Tornadoes football club hereby announces the immediate dissolution of its Technical Crew”.

According to the management of the club, the decision was reached following comprehensive review of the team’s performance during the just concluded season.

The three-paragraph statement indicated to have been signed by un-named ‘Management’, also said, “Further details regarding the composition of the new technical Crew and the restructuring of the team will be communicated in due course.”

The replacement of Engineer Ibrahim Dada who is fully into politics, aspiring to represent Bosso/Paikoro Federal Constituency with Dr. Abubakar Abdullahi Kuso as the management committee Chairman of Niger Tornadoes football club of Minna brought temporary relief to many sports lovers and analysts who are still expecting that the governor should go beyond making moves to add value to football in the state but to take the bold step by overhauling the entire sports sector which many view as being overdue. Overhauling the entire sports will enable the state government to not only reposition it but find out what is causing abysmal performances of athletes/state players.

rguably, football enjoy more attention compared to about fifteen other sports associations as documented by the state Ministry of Sports, but worrisome is the fact that the popularity and winning streak in different sports outings have continued to diminish due to what analysts believed has to do with power tussle in the sector which has to do with the inability of the state government to ensure that the sector remained apolitical. But developments in the ministry of Sports clearly shows a ministry divided against itself with the establishment of Niger State Sports Commission (NSSC), a likelihood of what is obtainable at the national level, and appointing Comrade Danjuma Abdul Masu, who is more politician than sports philanthropist, to manage the segment without weighing the merits and demerits and/or clearly spelling out the terms of operations and duties of each to avoid clash of interests or duplication of functions. This singular mistake and/ or oversight on the part of the Governor Umar Bago led administration not only left the entire sector comprising Ministry of Sports and the Sports Commission at a crossroads bedevilled with unhealthy and unnecessary survivalist competitions that is now promoting not only corrupt tendencies but political, religious, tribal considerations above good managerial skills that is causing more harm than good to the sports sector leading to poor performances in recent outings.

Findings also indicates that one of the most challenging hurdles facing Niger state sports sector is the issue of funding. State players, contingent or athletes participating in interstate, zonal or national sports events including the, National Sports Festivals (NSF) National Youth Games (NYG) have always done so poorly equipped, poorly prepared or both due to the inability of the state government to equip them with needed training facilities and funding of camping ahead of sporting events is always not on the agenda of managers of the sector and monies usually on most sporting events are always claimed to have been borrowed.

Unhealthy rivalry destroying the sector can be visibly noticed. While the Ministry of Sports wears the look of an abandoned poultry farm, the NSSC office right inside the Bahago Sports Centre, Bahago roundabout, is always looking lively gives clear picture of a house divided against itself by high level politics and underground clash of interests. Findings also showed that all the movable assets belonging to Ministry of Sports before now has, purportedly on the orders of the NSSC chairman, Masu, been moved to the NSSC office. Masu is often seen as daring, for having publicly declared severally that he is funding the Commission from his personal pocket, and that ‘whoever wants to work should come with him’. Rightly or wrongly, many have interpreted such comments to mean that he is sorely in charge of everything about sports in Niger state, indicating that Ministry of Sports no longer exist. These and other comments attributed to Masu, interpreted to have been borne out of pride and arrogance is said to have further heightened people’s disdain for the NSSC boss to have been responsible for the abandonement of the Ministry of Sports by the state government. The result of the in-house struggle for supremacy led to many of the staff, including state players/athletes in dilemma of dual allegiance and who are actually in charge or in control of the state’s sports sector, and why the Governor has all the while kept sealed lips as the Director of Sport in the Ministry, Alhaji Baba Sheshi, who until recently handed over Mallam Aliyu Mu’azu played dual role as Secretary of the Niger State Sports Commission. On the other hand, the office of the Permanent Secretary, Garba Ngaski, which has while the Sports Commission thrived with activities been technically rendered redundant, without a substantive Commissioner until recently when he performed the swearing in of the new board Chairman of Niger Tornadoes, gives credence to the insinuations that the sports sector is divided against itself. Again, almost every decision on sports designated or directed to the Sports Commission are deliberated and acted upon without inputs from the Permanent Secretary in person or his office. One of the issues that further widened the gap between the two agencies is the deal on Papa Daniel, one of Niger Tornadoes star players allegedly sold to a foreign football club and everything about the deal shrouded in secrecy is also raising more questions about relationships of state players and athletes with the two entities.

Politically, the Chairman of Tornadoes football club, Engineer Ibrahim Dada, who won the recent All Progressive Congress (APC) primaries for the Paikoro federal constituency, forming same clique with the Sports Commission Chairman are said to be part of the governor’s inner caucus camp causing the abandonment of Ministry of Sports and that is why little or nothing is happening in the ministry except at month ends when they are under obligation to report and sign documents. With unfettered access to the Governor more than the ‘left overs’, the duo get easier nod for events than those at the helms of affairs in the ministry of Sports.

Under the prevailing circumstances, members of staff, state players, sports associations and indeed employees of the Ministry of Sports and that of Niger State Sports Commission (NSSC) are in dilemma over which of the two offices to align with as both were under Abubakar Umar Abule from Mashegu Local Government Area (LGA) zone ‘C’ as Commissioner, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry also from same zone, before Jacob Baba Yisa, Commissioner for Youth and Social Development from Edati LGA, zone ‘A’, was detailed to oversee the Ministry after Abule resigned to contest elections, or the Chairman of the newly established NSSC from Chanchaga LGA, zone ‘B’.

Findings also showed that religious and tribal biases, coupled with poor remunerations, were among major reasons why about 70 percent of state players left for other states where they are better paid, including Squash players, thereby giving credence to claims that government’s investments in sports are more of paper work.

Allegations of corruption and job racketeering within the system are affecting the image of the state Ministry of Sports over the years, the habit of many senior management staff and retiring staff secretly recruiting their children and family members even when they did not study related courses to sports administration, and for them to be later transferred to other ministries as permanent staff are part of the allegations many stakeholders expected would have called for the unbundling of the ministry with a view to making it more responsive to present day needs and aspirations of citizens, sports lovers generally, and this, according to inside sources, accounts for why promotions to replace retiring staff are always faced with tribal and religious glitches because those who present themselves for promotional screening don’t have prerequisite qualifications while those that qualify for the jobs are schemed out on religious, indigeneship or tribal grounds that have consistently created gaps that should have been filled by now.