Sports Minister: The problem of Nigeria in the All African Games in Ghana

The much anticipated All African Games holding in Ghana has finally come after it was postponed for almost a year. The event is proving to be a great one for the continent except for the Nigeria contingents.

Its being a hell of a ride for Team Nigeria who are competing out of share love for their sports without any support from the Ministry of Sports or the Minister himself Senator John Enoh.

The athletes were made to sign an undertaking that they will not complain or protest no matter what happens or else they will be sued by the Ministry. As we speak the athletes competing in Ghana have not being paid any allowances since they entered camp on the 15th of February. Also some of the athletes and coaches who were decamped just before they travelled are yet to be paid their allowances.

This is the first All African Games were competition equipments were not bought for athletes to compete even though the government released money for them. It is so embarrassing that federations had to rally board members to buy their equipments for the athletes to compete while some athletes use their own personal equipments  or coaches borrow competition equipments from other countries were the federation is not buoyant.

Also athletes were only camped for two weeks which has never happened in nigeria sports, and the Minister expects results.

We appreciate federations like Wrestling, Badminton,  Taekwondo amongst others who  invested money in camping their own athletes because of the failure of the Minister of Sports Development (is he really developing the sports at this rate or killing it) to mobilse camps in preparation for the Games in Ghana.

The question now is with all the money the government has realised for this Games what is the Minister doing with it, will he now buy competition equipments for them after their events or return the budgeted money back to the government, i doubt if either of the two will be done.

Senator John Enoh has done poorly as a Minister of Sport, lacking the ability and technicality to manage Nigerian Sports in Africa’s biggest sporting event, we just wonder the embarrassments he will cause the nation when we face the world in the Olympics later in the year.