PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has handed down what in official quarters could pass as a Riot Act as he has ordered the Sports minister to prepare ground for a better outing at the 2016 Rio, de Janerio, Olympics, charging the sports Minister to ensure Nigeria returns with a minimum of five gold medals.According to Malam Bolaji Abdulahi, the sports minister, while inaugurating an eight man Visitation panel in Abuja yesterday, the president is not happy with the nations sports, following Nigeria's dismal outing at the London 2012 Olympics.The visitation panel which is charged with repositioning the National Institute of Sports (NIS) for optimal productivity has Professor Rasheed Farouk as its chairman.Tracing the country's current downward spiral in sports to institutional failure, the Sports minister noted that since its inception in 1972, the Institute for Sports has not measured up to its required target which is producing elite athletes for the country.He therefore charged the panel to overhaul the entire body of curriculum and human resources of the institution with a view to repositioning it for the greater task of enhancing its function which is producing elite athletes and coaches for the country.Abdulahi pulled no punches as he fingered institutional failure as one of the key factors '' that is responsible for the nation's parlous state in sports especially in international competition, with the London Olympics as roaring evidence.''The question we will ask is what has the NIS achieved since 1972. Mr President has asked that Nigeria should return with five gold medals in Rio 2016, the task now is that can the NIS play the institutional role to achieve that task, he asked.The visitation panel according to the minister to the members should not be seen as a witch-hunt panel, but a system audit panel that should reposition the nations sports from institutional perspective.''Mr President is interested in the work of this panel and you have four weeks to accomplish this task'', he charge. Other members of the visitation panel are Dr Ademola Are, Victor Onogagamue, director of Sports Delta state, Nelson Ineh, Barrister Cyril Anyanwu, Mrs Victoria Kayode, Dr Abdulkadir Muazu and Mrs Odumola Bello.Speakng on behalf of the members the chairman Professor Rasheed Farouk assured the minister that his panel will deliver on the task given to them.
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