Amaju Pinnick, former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and member of the FIFA Council, said inadequate maintenance was a major impediment to the development of the sport in Nigeria.
Speaking at the Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan on Tuesday, Mr. Pinnick stressed the urgent need for improved infrastructure to support the nation’s athletic capacity.
His lecture titled “Sports Infrastructure and Maintenance Challenges in Nigeria: Perspectives on Podium Performance” highlighted the critical role of infrastructure in promoting the success of sports in Nigeria.
Pinnick lamented that Nigeria is rich in skilled athletes but lacks proper facilities to hone and showcase their talents. He pointed out that the cause of this problem lies in the lack of a widespread maintenance culture from households to public facilities, pointing out that countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom and Nigeria, which have invested heavily in sports infrastructure, compared the approaches of
“Nigeria cannot host FIFA tournaments because most of the stadiums in Nigeria do not meet the criteria to be called stadiums,” he said. For example, he pointed out that even the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, which is regarded as the best sports facility in Nigeria, lacks important facilities such as hospitality suites that generate significant revenue for FIFA.
“That’s because FIFA doesn’t even have a hospitality suite, which generates at least 30 percent of match revenue,” the CAF executive committee member revealed.
He called on the federal and state governments to work with sports administrations to renovate existing stadiums. This will improve the standard of sports facilities in Nigeria and increase the chances of athletes succeeding on the world stage.
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Despite the challenges, Mr Pinnick expressed optimism about the recent revival of the National Sports Commission (NSC), seeing it as a positive step under the President Bola Tinubu administration. He stressed that the appointment of Shehu Ditko as NSC Chairman is a positive sign for the future of Nigerian sports.
Earlier, the Dean of the Faculty of Education, Mr. Olufemi Adegbesan, noted the importance of the lecture in promoting the development of sports in Nigeria and commended Mr. Pinnick for his qualifications and contribution to football administration. NSC Chairman Shehu Dicko also highlighted the commission’s efforts to address Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit, while NFF President Ibrahim Gusau said the number of FIFA-approved stadiums for international matches in the country is limited. admitted that it was.
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Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Kayode Adebowale, further cited Nigeria’s declining sports performance and called for urgent resolution of infrastructure issues as the basis for success in future international competitions.
(South)
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