MY father used to tell me in those days in Urhobo that” vwo se yerin, oboto wo de ta” meaning “ if you know you cannot climb the tree, you state it while you are on the ground”.
The implication of this statement is that you don’t make attempt and may be, when you are half way, you begin to lament.
The decision by the management of the National Sports Commission (NSC) to hire Consultants, Contractors and engage the services of “ Chief Operating Officers for the Federations calls for a critical thinking.
On Tuesday while unveiling President Bola Tinubu’s new mandate aimed at transforming Nigerian Sports into a sustainable Sports economy, the Director General, Gbenga Olapade disclosed that they will engage the services of consultants and Chief Operating officers to run the Federations.
The detailed vision unveiling was done at a strategic meeting with Presidents and Secretaries of various Federations in Abuja.
According to Olapade, the Chief Operating Officers will be pivotal in fostering the growth of Nigerian Sports economy, a sector that holds immense potential for job creation, youth development and economic diversification.
To the former Commissioner for Sports in Ogun State, this move is seen as a bold step toward a more structural and economically viable Sports sector, with a clear focus on maximising the potential of Nigerian Sports industry. It is also geared towards improving athlete welfare and upgrading Sports.
However, in as much as laudable as the project is, there have been serious concerns from stakeholders for and against.
The question people have been asking is why would NSC hire contractors to run the Sports Commission when there are technocrats within the sports Commission. Do we really need Consultants and how do we determine the suitability of the consultants which to me is subjective? Who would be held accountable for the grants and monies from the Federal Government and Donors?
Stakeholders are also asking questions as to what will happen to the Secretaries from the commission whom I thought should be the accounting officers.
In my candid opinion, both arguments sound good but my fear is that when you hire consultants and appoint operating officers, you have already established “foot soldiers “ who have taken over the business of the Sports industry and drives it the way that suits them. In that case, it would be difficult to revert to the old system which may create more problem for the already problematic Sports industry. Perhaps some may engage the services of their relations who have no experience and nothing to offer when it comes to Sports.
What is obvious and certain is that the Secretaries who are typically civil servants will do everything to frustrate the so called consultants. They will tend to slow down their work and make the whole thing unworkable.
On the other hand, this exercise if implemented may turned out to be mere duplication of roles. The plain truth is that scribes and Federation bosses are going to be irrelevant because the consultants and Chief Operating officers would have taken over their jobs. What would come out of it would be total chaos which may jeopardise the Sports now and in the near future.
Some stakeholders have argued that to a large extent, the Secretaries seems to be the major obstacle that has been hindering Sports development in the Country. To this school of thought, the Secretaries are the major problem to the Federation bosses and should be tamed. These set of stakeholders are of the opinion that Secretaries have the extra mile to create issues where there are none and to some extent frustrate the Presidents and board members.
The stakeholders also argued that the Secretaries do a lot of harm than good by fixing relations on foreign movements instead of qualified athletes. They disobey orders from Federation Presidents, inflate flight tickets to the detriment of athletes and the board.
In conclusion, the move by the new commission helmsman is seen as a bold step toward a more structural and economically viable Sports sector, with a clear focus on maximising the potential in the Sports industry. It is also geared towards improving athletes’ welfare and upgrading Sports generally in the Country.
To play safe therefore, some of the Secretaries should be sent back to the civil service commission while the terms of reference of the consultants and the chief operating officers be spelt out.
