THE down swing in sports in Nigerian schools has continued unabated, adversely affecting the countrys performance in international competitions in its aftermath, a trend a former national athlete, Prof. Olatunde Makanju, blamed on the lackadaisical attitude of school owners as well as the government.The chairman, University of Lagos Sports Council, Makanju, told The Guardian yesterday that it was disheartening that schools pay lip service to formative sports just as the dearth of sponsorship was also taking its toll. He said: It is pathetic that sports is dying in schools because the school owners are careless about sports.Most schools in the country dont even have playground where the students can do sports, unlike in our days. Some schools would have more than one playground and this afforded us the opportunity to take part in various sports.Also, Physical Education (PE), which used to be part of the school curriculum, is now going extinct in schools because there is no way you will do PE and not go out to participate in one sport or the other. But nowadays, schools pay little attention to sports and the only time that most of the students have anything to do with sports is during inter-house sports competition, which comes up once in a year.I think this will not encourage the students to take to sports but there must be conscious efforts by the school authorities to inspire the students to love sports because a lot of morals can be leant from sports.Makanju, who is also the chairman, Lagos State Athletics Association, however, faulted the government for not paying adequate attention to sports despite its inherent gains, which he believes can help to groom world stars and also provide means of livelihood to many youths.He added: I know that government has a lot of work to do in terms of providing basic amenities to the populace but it is also important to know that the youths are the future of any nation and investing in them will not be a waste. So sports being the easiest avenue to engage the youths, it is therefore necessary to consider this sector.All over the globe, Nigerians are representing various countries in sports and are excelling for their adopted nations because they have the opportunities and the encouragement. But in Nigeria, the opportunity is not there while government still sees sports as an insignificant area.Worldwide, sports is business and in some European countries, sports contributes to their revenue, so Nigeria should not be an exception when it comes to sports. If we can give our youths the opportunity to showcase their skills in sports, I am confident that Nigeria will be among the top sporting nations in the world.To revive sports, he said: I think we need to go back to the grassroots, which is the basis of our success in those days and also, there must be regular competitions for athletes to dissipate their energy. I know that most companies now shy away from sponsorship but with its take-off, I believe some of them will make a retreat and invest in sports.Sports imparted a lot of virtues in me and most of my friends I met through sports and often, it is impossible to quantify the gains of taking part in sports.To budding athletes, Makanju advised: I believe every athlete must strive to have the basic education, which I know will be useful after quitting sports. I am happy some of the great athletes like Segun Odegbami, Patrick Ekeji and Adokie Amasiamaka are doing well in their various fields despite their involvement in sports.The present Minister of Foreign Affairs, Odein Ajumogobia, was a great basketball player when he was in UNILAG and I am proud of him that he is now a minister. So the present athletes should take a cue from these people.
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