Why Nigeria Struggles with Sports Development, Former Sports Minister

A former Minister of Sports, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, has shared his thoughts on why Nigeria is not succeeding in sports development.

Adedoja believes that sports development in Nigeria has been too political. He said that appointments to ministerial positions are not based on skills or experience.

He spoke during the opening ceremony of the National Conference organized by the National Association for Physical, Health Education, Recreation, Sports and Dance (NAPHER-SD). The event took place on Thursday at Bayero University, Kano (BUK).

As the chairman of the occasion, Adedoja pointed out that he was the only professional in sports development among the 35 sports ministers Nigeria has had since independence. He said, "The foundation for any sports development in any country you know is physical education. But we are missing the point in this country."

Adedoja added, "Since Nigeria gained independence, Nigeria had 35 Sports Ministers. I became one, and at the time I became minister for sports and later added special duties by President Jonathan."

He emphasized, "Among the 35 Ministers of sports in Nigeria, I was the only professional in sports developments who was appointed."

According to him, Nigeria will not succeed in sports development unless it understands the need to hire qualified people in this field. He stated, "Sports development in Nigeria has been over politicised and that is why we are not getting it right. No continuity of policy."

Adedoja, also the founding Head of the Department of Physical and Health Education at BUK, mentioned that the department has grown from one to five departments. This growth has created more job opportunities for students.

He said, "The students were not in the wrong profession because they contributed to the development of the nation."

The President of NAPHER-SD, Prof. Florence Bola-Adeyanju, urged the government to collaborate with the association to improve the current state of sports in Nigeria.

She noted that the conference is happening at a critical time when there is a call for more transparency, integrity, and accountability in the nation.

Bola-Adeyanju said, "The three sectors were important to the development of human capital and national well-being."

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of BUK, Prof. Haruna-Musa, represented by Dr. Abubakar Ibrahim-Hassan, Dean of the Faculty of Education, called the event historic.

He said the theme of the event is timely. He highlighted that transparency, integrity, and accountability are challenges in a society where people have lost their values.