It is about 12 years now since any South Eastern State hosted the National Sports Festival (NSF) and this has compelled many sports enthusiasts in the region to wonder why it is so.
“Owerri ’98″, the last NSF in the region was hosted by Imo state in 1998, while the next biennial sports fiesta, tagged “Garden City Games”, is scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, soon.

Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium, Enugu
Some sports enthusiasts believe that the states had not demonstrated enough will and commitment to bid for the games, for reasons best known to the governments of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu states.
NSF was conceived by the Federal Government in the 1970s to create a platform for the discovery of new sports talents, serve recreational purposes, while fostering unity among the people of Nigeria, particularly the youths.
Officials says that in order to achieve these objectives, there is unwritten code that permits the rotation of the games venue among the states of the federation, as part of efforts to foster a sense of belonging among them.
Mr. Dan Adokiye, Enugu Zonal Coordinator of National Sports Commission (NSC), believes that one of the South East States ought to make a bold move to bid for the next games, so as to sustain the tempo of sports development in the region.
He said that the South East Zone had had its fair share of young athletes who made it in life through sports; adding that the tempo must be sustained to re-enact such fortunes for its teeming youths.
Supporting such viewpoints, sports analysts easily point at such great sportsmen as Innocent Egbunike, the Ezinwa brothers -Davidson and Osmond, Uchenna Emedolu, Mary Onyali and Obinna Metu, now Nigeria’s fastest man on the blocks, among others.
Mr. Edwin Eze, Director of Sports (Information), Enugu State Sports Council, recalls that Imo was able to host the games then because it was under a military regime that was interested in sports development.
Mr. Steve Ororua, Chairman, Board of Enugu State Sports Council, also underscores this point, stressing that hosting the national sports fiesta goes beyond the mere availability of sports infrastructure. “It is well beyond the availability of the right infrastructure to host; there must be the political will by the government of the day to spend huge funds on such a project.”
“The government must believe that the sports event can also contribute to the overall strategy to achieve socioeconomic development of the state,” he says.
However, Ororua says that “it is not beyond the ability of Enugu State to host the next NSF but the government will have to be eager to host it; the state legislature too, must also be willing.
“They must also believe that it will foster their development aspirations,” he adds.
Mr. Jonathan Okere, a sports enthusiast, nonetheless, argues that for a meaningful hosting to take place, the states must necessarily provide venues that will offer the right type of atmosphere. “There should also be promising talents to represent the state at the event,” he adds.
Okere said that the Enugu State Government should be persuaded to host the next games because it is one of the states in the South East zone that has produced seasoned sportsmen, who are trailblazers.
Sports historians recall that Enugu, the “Coal City”, is replete with names of veteran sportsmen, who had left indelible prints on the nation’s sports scene.
The renowned sportsmen include Sylvanus Okpala, Dominic Nwobodo, Christian Chukwu, Chibuzor Ehilegbu, Ikechukwu Boardman, Emma Okocha, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, Emmanuel Okala, Godwin Gbenimachor and Brendan Ukwoke, the incumbent Director of Sports in the state.
Festus Anyikwa, a former Director of Sports in Anambra State Sports Council, and
Eric Onwuegbuna, Tony Mmo and Innocent Modika, are also part of the famous sportsmen.
Eze is, however, optimistic that if good proposals are made to Gov. Sullivan Chime on the NSF, he may be well disposed to hosting the next games.
“The governor will want to be convinced that the hosting of the sports event will help in efforts to re-mould the youths.”
“Our problem in Enugu State is that successive governments had focused more attention on the State-owned football club, Rangers International, to the detriment of the other sports.
“Unless there is a paradigm shift, the fortunes of the other sports will continue to hang on the brinks,” Eze moans.
Analysts says that these days, games’ hosts, all over the world, now take due advantage of such events to advance their economic fortunes, while developing their public and sports infrastructure.
They add that such countries had successfully put their countries on the global spotlight in course of such events, thus improving their international image.
Mr Olabanji Oladapo, the immediate past Secretary General, Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), supports such arguments, saying that “countries now use games such as the Olympics to transform their economies and improve their social infrastructure, while also achieving urban renewal”.
He cites the examples of the “Seoul ‘88”, “Manchester 2002” and “Athens 2004”, where the host countries took advantage of the games to boost their economies, which had been faltering.
“It is on record that the sports industry is a massive employer of labour. Rivers State, indeed, mounted a strong bid to win the hosting rights of the ‘2010 Garden City Games’ because it wants to use it to positively engage the restive youths in the region.
“We gave it to them because the government is well focused to use the games as pedestal to empower the youths,” Oladapo says.
Observers are quick to point to the gains recorded in Enugu State, when it served as one of several venues for the 2009 FIFA U_17 World Cup championship. While preparing for the championship, the Enugu State Government spent huge sums of money on the rehabilitation of Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium and Rangers’ Training Camp in Enugu, as well as the University of Nigeria (UNN) mini-stadium in Nsukka.
Mr. Ralph Chiedozie George, an Enugu based radio commentator, says: “These are excellent state of art facilities that are capable of hosting quality and TV friendly matches any day.”
He says that facilities at the UNN, Nsukka, will be very handy, if Enugu State decides to host the next NSF.
“The UNN currently showcases great facilities as standard swimming pools – currently the best on the continent; basketball courts, squash courts, cricket and soccer pitches, as well as tartan tracts,” Prof Bartho Okolo, the Vice Chancellor of UNN, recently said.
All these facilities, sports analyst say, put Enugu State in a good stead to host the games.
Habu Ahmed Gumel, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), believes that the hosting of games by cities and nations presents one of the fastest ways to boost infrastructure and showcasing new talents.
“It also helps the youth to develop their other God given attributes,” Gumel adds.
Mr Matthew Idu, Enugu State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, shares similar sentiments, saying that “sports have over time proved to be one of the greatest catalysts for development.
“It conditions the mind and body; breeds a crop of youths, who are able to promote healthy living, while ensuring limitless manpower for country’s growth and development,” he said.
Idu is optimistic that Enugu State will one day play host to the festival, adding, however, that the state must start planning for such a time.
However, there appears to be a growing call on states in the South East geopolitical zone to make decisive efforts to bring the next games to the region, to enable the region to reap the myriad benefits obtainable from hosting the fiesta.
Culled from NAN.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/01/why-are-south-east-states-shying-away-from-national-sports-festival/

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