The President and Founder of Nigeria Pitch Awards, Shina Philips has attributed the lack of quality structure and failure of leaders in the country to rise above ethnic bias as the major problem militating against the development of the sport industry in Nigeria. In this exclusive interview with ANDREW EKEJIUBA he revealed how Nigeria can overcome all the challenges and rediscover its prowess in an industry that helped to unit its citizens. Excerpts:
Kindly give us an overview of sport development in Nigeria and her major challenges?
Nigeria is a country blessed with lots human cum material resources because we have the potentials to taking sport development or football to the next level, but we are yet to deliver in this regard.
For example, I have heard so many analysts complain that the problem of Nigerian football is the Nigeria Football Federation and I tend to disagree. I want to state frankly that the major problem of our football industry or sport development generally is that we lack the basic structure on ground for sport to thrive.
Since 1945 when organized football began in the country, we cannot lay claim to the needed structure put in place for sport development to thrive. As a kicker, how many of our football clubs are owned by individuals and how many of them can boast of their own stadium or training pitches.
If you take Barcelona Football Club of Spain for example you can see that they have structure on ground for football development in their club. Today, they have their various youth teams with different age categories playing actively (both male and female squads). In Nigeria the story is different!
We need to boost the quality of our football league by doing the right thing. Our clubs need to have their own stadium with at least three training pitches accommodated in their facility.
They need to have their permanent administrative quarters or offices where all administrative issues or meetings hold.
Everywhere in the world where sport development thrives, individuals and corporate bodies own clubs and not government as seen in Nigeria. All these point to the fact that we do not have good structures on ground for sport development to thrive.
What then is the way forward?
On the way forward, we need to set standard for club owners to adhere to as it is done in other top football playing nations of the world. Clubs must be made to have their own administrative quarters, accommodation facilities for their players alongside their playing and training facilities. All these must be in place before we can begin to pride ourselves as a top football playing nation. I am glad to mention that someone like Alh. Aliko Dangote has all the resources to float a standard football club and many other billionaires in Nigeria. If we can have at least 24 clubs from individuals in this regard who are willing to build a well-structured soccer club which are administered by professionals, our league will grow and attract foreign investments and players.
Aside the aforementioned, clubs can now have the liberty to partner banks, airlines and the issue of teams running into bankruptcy will be a thing of the past because there will be enough money from corporate bodies to help keep the clubs afloat.
Money accruing from gate takings from these clubs will also help keep the various clubs on a strong financial base instead of hoping on government to sustain them financially.
With the required structure in place, fans will quickly begin to identify with these clubs thereby increasing their fan-base. And from there, the supporters clubs will emerge, thus having their department in charge of their affairs.
In fact other departments like the marketing and sponsorship will emerge strongly with an aim of having a self-sustaining structure on ground. That is how long lasting structures are laid for clubs.
Are there other areas of the economy that needs same attention as sport development?
Yes, the same problem we have in the sports industry can also be found in the music or entertainment industry because they lack the basic structure to assist in the development of the industry despite having many of our young men and women going into the music industry.
As a young musician, you face all sources of challenges in Nigeria before you can break even because pirates out there will be waiting anxiously for that your good music to hit the market and within a twinkle of an eye they begin to feed on your hard-earned labour.
It is said that countries attend greatness in all facets of human endeavor through self-reliance and it takes quality leadership to help actualize this mission. Be it in sports, entertainment or even in the economy the citizens or fans had to look up to a man who is fit enough to direct the affairs of a nation or in the management of a club.
Are you saying that in all sectors of the Nigerian economy the country is yet to get it right?
No, I want to say that there are few exceptions like the banking sector which is doing fine but a lot needs to be done in those areas that tend to unite this great country which the sport industry falls into.
I’m frankly not opposed to any party or government that wins the upcoming presidential or gubernatorial elections, but Nigerians need a leader who will put the right structures in place for the country to develop.
Nigeria and Africa in general are lagging behind because we do not have visionary leaders. It is said that countries attend greatness in all facets of human endeavor through self-reliance and it takes quality leadership to help actualize this mission.
At the African Union level the continent is often found wanting when compared to other continents of the world. How many African leaders are thinking of the benefits that accrue from space technology? None, because what we hear from countries in the African continent are wars, conflicts and political upheavals caused by bad leadership. It is so sad!
In Nigeria, we have continued to rebuild the nation without a particular direction and no common national goal or structure on ground. Even the founding fathers of Nigeria failed to build a solid structure for the country to thrive. Some of them were busy chasing ethnic agenda and those leaders that came behind them no longer think of what they can do for the country but they can get from the country. Today, the problem has spilled over to sports, education, entertainment and other sectors of the economy which is taking us backwards.
At present, most political parties have their ideology which is not for the common interest of the nation.
What manner of leaders do Nigerians need now to help resuscitate our sport industry and build lasting structures in other aspects of the economy as you said?
We need leaders who are detribalized because every Nigerian has seen the damaged done to the country by leaders who are tribalistic or ethnically biased. We need leaders who will promote patriotism and not leaders who after what will line
their pockets.
Even in sports, we do not need corrupt leaders but a pacesetter or patriot who does not mind the tribe where a good footballer is coming from before allowing him to feature in the green-and-white jersey of Nigeria in major sporting events. As far as an athlete is good, he or she must be encouraged to excel in his area of specialty in sports for the
country.
A patriotic Nigerian cannot commit crime or cannot pretend to be fighting corruption while he or she has ethnic bias. Nigerians do not need continuous assurances from government that they have the capacity to rebuild or restructure the nation; what we need is a permanent structure on ground to check the excesses of those leaders who are interested in destroying the country by their actions and we must learn to respect
ourselves.
