Jonathan laments Nigeria's dwindling fortunes in sports

Urges firms to emulate GlobacomNIGERIA'S perennial woeful performance in different sporting disciplines has reached the point where the private sector should take concrete steps in partnering the Federal Government with a view to bringing back the glory days.And for the second time in 72 hours, President Goodluck Jonathan again charged corporate entities to come to the aid of the Federal Government in the area of sports development even as he urged professional golfers to strive to put Nigeria in international limelight through their exploits on prominent world tours.He has also tasked the Nigeria Golf Federation (NGF) to give the championship an international flair by getting more players from the West coast of Africa as participants. Speaking atthe closing ceremony of the 2011 President's Cup Golf Championship, of which he is the celebrant, Jonathan said it was heart-rending to see the country enjoy a free fall of this magnitude despite being blessed with an army of talented athletes.Represented at the event by the Senate President, David Mark, who relayed his frustrations, Jonathan said that time was when Nigeria was a force to reckon with in world sports, stressing that his administration was poised to do the needful in its bid to change the tide.According to him, 'In the 1980s and 1990s, Nigeria used to be very prominent in athletics at the world level. We also made a lot of marks in football, boxing, weightlifting and hockey, and like I earlier said, in athletics. But all of a sudden, we have gone down seriously.'At this point, it is understandable that we need to partner the private sector to reverse the trend.
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