Nigeria needs sports master plan – Fashola

Babatunde Fashola, the former governor of Lagos State and the current minister of housing and works, has offered insights into the problems facing Nigerian sports and highlighted several ways that both the public and private sectors might change to make the sector more sustainable.

On Sunday, Fashola was a guest speaker at the University of Lagos' Tayo Aderinokun Hall for the book launch of legendary sports journalist Mumini Alao's Autobiography.

Fashola cited Nigeria's sporting past in his speech, "Re-thinking the current football commercial model in Nigeria as a catalyst for sports growth," pointing out that the National Sports Commission and other organizations previously provided the platform for success.

"The answers are within our grasp if we are willing to put in the effort, follow the guidelines, and postpone pleasure, as has been the case with many of the issues we have faced," Fashola stated.

“We must not look for quick fixes. I subscribe to the idea of a 10-year plan and a decade of commitment to sports development.”

To achieve the master plan, Fashola also advocated the development of a structure that is attractive and sustainable.

“I hear the unspoken question about where the money will come from.

“My answer is that we must develop a plan and programme that is capable of being funded before we start losing sleep about funds. Almost too often, we agonise about funding without developing a workable plan.

“In the recent past in Lagos, we developed a plan that created a sports activity from March to December every year.

“We had all school sports from March to June, and from July to December we had table tennis, squash, swimming, scrabble, the Governor’s Lawn Tennis Cup and the climax was on December 26 at the boxing finals at Rowe Park, which I attended diligently.

“Not only did they produce many talents for state and country, they revived the interest of old sponsors like Chief Rasak Okoya and his Asoju Oba Cup, FCMB, Etisalat, Julius Berger, and many other brands became willing and enthusiastic partners and sponsors.”

Aside from being a former governor and ex-minister, Fashola has been a respected figure for his contributions to sports development in Nigeria.

Recently, the International Table Tennis Federation Africa named the maiden edition of the ITTF Africa Youth Cup after him.