To revitalize Nigeria’s sports sector, Minister of Sports Development John Enoh has stressed the urgent need to declare a state of emergency to address critical issues affecting the country’s sports landscape, according to The Nation.
Enoh, who succeeded Chief Sunday Akin Dare as sports minister, expressed this viewpoint during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Wednesday.
His push for reform comes in response to Nigeria’s disappointing performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where, despite sending 88 athletes across 12 sports and having significant talent and funding, the country failed to secure any medals.
At the 33rd Olympic Games held between July 26 and August 11 in France, Nigeria matched the country’s worst outings in Helsinki 1952, Melbourne 1965, Rome 1960, Mexico 1968, Moscow 1980, Seoul 1988 and London 2012.
Enoh acknowledged that the current sports structure is inadequate and needs a complete overhaul to restore its former glory.
Pressed if a total overhaul was necessary, Enoh responded, “It’s a complex issue, but we must face the truth — we lack a proper system and structure.
“Sports are vital for livelihood and unity. It deserves more focus and immediate action. We need a state of emergency to rectify this situation.”
Enoh, who had earlier commented on Team Nigeria’s poor performance at the multi-sport event, further admit that the outing could have been better.
“The Olympic Games, Paris 2024, has ended, and I accept that our performance should have been a lot better. It obviously fell short of our objectives, expectations, and hopes of Nigerians. I must apologise to our compatriots and reflect on what went wrong while looking forward to the Paralympic Games, Paris 2024.”
“In all these, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federation, HE Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ensured that funds were not a limiting factor. Athletes’ competition requirements were provided, allowances were paid early, and training grants were disbursed to all athletes. I made myself readily available to deal with any issue throughout the competition. Therefore, the underwhelming performance of our team is puzzling. We owe Nigerians an explanation,” he noted.
=He also expressed optimism about Nigeria’s prospects at the upcoming Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8, where he hopes to see the nation win medals, citing strong performances expected in powerlifting and other para sports.
At the last edition of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020, Nigeria won 10 medals (four gold, one silver, and five bronze).
“My expectations are high, though I can’t specify numbers,” Enoh added. “We have promising para athletes in powerlifting, para badminton, and para table tennis.”
