After 19 years, once the biggest sports event in Nigeria, the NNPC/Shell Cup for All Nigerian secondary schools, involving some 60,000 young student footballers every year, sponsored by Shell, has disappeared from the annual calendar of school sports in the past 2 years without any explanations.
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At the same time, this year will mark the 22nd year of unblemished and consistent sponsorship of basketball for All Nigerian secondary schools by Milo.
There are many other stories of the chequered relationship between the private sector, schools, government (ministries of Education and of Sports) and school sports organisers.
Everyone is in agreement that the future of sports development and its impact on Nigeria’s teeming youths depend on the state and place of sports in schools and the role of the private sector and governments to drive them.
But what is happening in the sector? What are the States and Federal governments actually doing to develop sports in the schools? What is the private sector also doing? What are the opportunities and benefits presently derivable from sponsoring school sports? Why are schools not fulfilling their mandate to massively engage their teeming youths?
Very many questions, but very few answers.
This Thursday night on The Sports Parliament, the most authoritative conversation on Nigerian sports, parliamentarians will attempt to Xray this when they chat with Mrs Bisi Joseph, newly elected President (the first female in Nigeria’s history) of the Nigeria School Sports Federation, NSSF, LIVE on NTA, Africa’s largest TV network from 10:30 pm, with a repeat transmission on Friday, at 11:00 am.
Join the Pundit, the Maverick, the Legend, Doctor in the House, the Law, Encyclopedia, Beauty and Brain, the Veteran, and any number of Parliamentarians on the show this Thursday night.
All those in favour say Aye.
All those against say Nay.
The Ayes have it!š
Segun Odegbami
The Speaker.
