Members of the Nigerian International Athletes Association in their quest to impact the lives of students/athletes hosted the first ever international convention on Nigerian soil in conjunction with the Cross River State Government. The convention was a resounding success that could be attributed to the focus, the discipline and cooperation exhibited by attending members.

NIAA recently adopted a secondary school (St. Jude’s) in Calabar located in the middle of a residential community.

The mission commenced with a mentoring session with the students, staff and parents of St. Jude’s. The students were broken up into three groups while NIAA members sat in the classrooms with the students and staff to have somewhat of a round table conversation. The session focused on the importance of education, goal setting, hard work, good citizenship and the spirit of giving back to the needy and disadvantaged.

Day two was a groundbreaking day for the construction of a brick fence around St. Jude’s campus. The fence was a top priority and was critically needed to secure the campus. The project was totally funded by NIAA and thanks to NIAA the project is in its last stages of completion. St. Jude’s will now be secure to prevent tress passers and looters.

Day three started in the morning at the U J ESUENE Stadium for recreational activities. This session attracted hundreds of youths who participated in a clinic with emphasis on physical education, staying fit and the impact in ultimate good health both physically and mentally. The clinic included but not limited to some track and field drills, fundamentals of baseball/softball and daily exercising.

On the evening of day three, NIAA hosted its inaugural NIAA Unity Invitational relays where eight secondary and primary schools (Boys and Girls) were invited to participate. NIAA also featured a team that ran and actually won against the youths. The night session also featured a novelty soccer match between NIAA and the youths. Following the conclusion of this session, there was an awards ceremony and these awards included actual medals and NIAA T-Shirts. Cross River State Government also donated some awards to the youths. The highlight of the above sessions was the exuberance and passion that we saw in these youths.

Day four was the grand finale and the Banquet night which was very well attended. Guests included the Governor of Cross River State, Sen. Lyel Imoke, members of the Cross River Executive Council and several other dignitaries. This gala also featured an awards night for former and current sportsmen and women who have represented Cross River State. To reciprocate, NIAA presented awards to the Governor, the Deputy Governor and the Hon. Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Cross River State. As a result of the impact and success of this convention, there is already a verbal invitation for NIAA to return in 2011.

Press Article by Bruce Tajinere Ijirigho, Ph.D

Dear Friend and Sports Lover,

I emerged from a very poor and humble background in a little village of less than 100 people in Nigeria to become a two time track and field Olympian during my career as an athlete. To achieve this feat, I received moral support from my family, encouragement from many teachers, donated sports equipment from unknown organizations, scholarship from appreciative school principals, monetary stipends from people I never met, and finally an athletic scholarship from a University in the United States which exposed me to world class coaching and facilities. The life story of most members of the Nigerian International Athletes Association (NIAA) has followed a similar path. Today, we are successful professionals and good citizens making meaningful contributions to society.

The youths of today are faced with even better opportunities to become scholars and international athletic stars. Instead, their situation is hopeless while the decadent state of sports in Nigeria has exceeded epidemic proportions in a country so well blessed with incredible raw talent. Feeling very disenfranchised, and deciding that enough was enough, we decided it was time to emulate the great American tradition of “giving back”. Consequently, the NIAA was founded in 2000 to combat the problem of sports demise in Nigeria and to provide needy and disadvantaged youths in Nigeria and the USA with the resources and support to achieve their God given potential in Education and Sports. Since its inception the NIAA has recorded the following modest achievements:

• In November 2003 The NIAA organized a 5K run to raise funds for Hope Farms of Dallas, A home for 5-12 year old boys from poor single family homes.
• The NIAA has established an annual scholarship program for secondary school students in Nigeria who demonstrate great promise in sports and education.
• Awarded scholarships to student athletes in Nigeria and the USA
• The NIAA has formalized a program for recruiting talented student athletes from Nigeria and placing them in U.S. universities on scholarship.
• The NIAA has completed a “Master Plan for the Development of Sports at the Grassroots level in Nigeria”

The NIAA’s goal is to continue the award of scholarships and secure the funding to implement the grassroots sports development program in 2007. We believe strongly that this program will be the “factory” for producing future collegiate, Olympic and world Champions for Nigeria. It will cost a little over 2 million U.S. dollars annually to start the “factory” and keep it in perpetual production. Nothing this worthwhile and of this magnitude can be achieved without the financial support of well meaning people and organizations of like mind. We need your financial and moral support to make this a reality. The NIAA has various categories of financial support for its sponsors. I urge you to support us with your funds, no matter how small and help us to bring hope to today’s youths who will become tomorrows Champions.

Sincerely,

Bruce Tajinere Ijirigho, Ph.D.
President

Press Article by Bruce Tajinere Ijirigho, Ph.D.

The Nigerian International Athletes Association (NIAA) is proud to announce that its 6th Annual International Convention and Fund-Raising Banquet will be held in Phoenix from 27-29 October 2006. The convention and fund-raising Banquet will be held at the Phoenix Marriot Hotel Mesa Arizona on Saturday, 28 October 2006.

For purposes of introduction, The NIAA represents a collection of some seventy five (75) former and present sports achievers spread across the globe who at one time or another have experienced the privilege of representing Nigeria in international sports competition. Disenfranchised by the state of sports affairs in Nigeria and deciding that enough was enough, these athletes took matters into their own hands at the turn of the century and formally founded The NIAA in 2000 as a tax exempt 501 (C) 3 organization. The association was founded to combat the problem of sports demise, which has exceeded epidemic proportions in a country so well blessed with incredible raw talent but no hope for the future.

The 2006 Convention & Banquet promises to be quite an event as several of Nigeria’s former and present premier sportsmen and women of international fame in all sports and other dignitaries will be in attendance. The Theme for the 2006 convention is “STEWARDSHIP”. At the banquet, a special tribute will be paid to The Late Dele Ndubisi Udoh, Nigeria’s 400 meters Olympian who was killed in 1981 while on active service for Nigeria. Other sports pioneers and Olympians will be recognized at the banquet. Mr. Christian Okoye, NIAA spokesperson and former NFL player will be in attendance with other professional athletes

The NIAA’s mission and goals are three-fold:

1. To provide needy and disadvantaged youths with the resources and support to achieve their God given potential in Education and Sports while bringing honor and glory to their community.
2. To identify talented youths at the grassroots level and prepare them to succeed as student/athletes as well as productive members of society.
3. To foster goodwill and comradeship through an exchange program among the youths of Nigeria and the United States, thereby creating a bridge which links the youths of both nations to the rest of the World.

Since its inception, the NIAA has recorded the following modest achievements:

• In November 2003, the NIAA organized a 5K run to raise funds for Hope Farms of Dallas, A home for 5-12 year old boys from poor single family homes.
• The NIAA has established an annual scholarship program for secondary school students in Nigeria who demonstrate great promise in sports and education.
• The NIAA has formalized a program for recruiting and placing talented student athletes in U.S. universities on scholarship.
• The NIAA has awarded scholarships to student athletes in Nigeria and the USA.
• The NIAA has completed a “Master Plan for the Development of Sports at the Grassroots level in Nigeria”.

The NIAA’s goal is to continue the award of scholarships and start implementing the grassroots sports development program in 2007 because we strongly believe that it will be the “factory” for producing future collegiate and Olympic Champions. It will cost a little over 2 million U.S. dollars annually to start the “factory” and keep it in perpetual production. Nothing this worthwhile and of this magnitude can be achieved without the financial support of well meaning people and organizations of like mind. We need your support to make this a reality. We urge you to support and help us to bring hope to today’s youths who will become tomorrows Olympic Champions.

The NIAA cordially invites all sports loving Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora, friends of Nigerian sports, and the news media, to join us at the convention as we deliberate on plans that will provide lasting solutions to the problems facing the development of sports in Nigeria.

This is your chance to contribute constructively and make a difference. You can make your reservations on line at www.marriott.com/phxmm or call 888 236 2427 and ask for group code NINIAA. The name of the Hotel is Phoenix Marriott Mesa on 200 N. Centennial Way Mesa, Arizona. Room rate is $85.00 plus tax per night. The reservations must be made no later than October 6th 2006 to get the special rate of $85.00 per night. If you are unable to attend, but would like to support our mission, please make out your tax deductible donation/check to the NIAA and mail to:
NIAA CONVENTION ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Mr. Felix Imadiyi (Chairman)
2255 East Riverdale Street
Mesa, Arizona 85213
Phone: (480) 203-8551
Fax: (480) 644-3625
Email: fsimadiyi@yahoo.com

We look forward to seeing you at the convention and hope you will see reason to become an integral part of our worthwhile mission.

Bruce Tajinere Ijirigho, Ph.D.
President NIAA, Tel: (602) 319-7630

Harrison Salami
Secretary, Tel: (972) 384-1004

Innocent Egbunike
Public Relations Officer, Tel: (770) 842-8563

Press Article by Bruce T. Ijirigho, PH.D.

The following communique was issued to the press and general public at the end of the proceedings of the general assembly of the NIAA convention held at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 9090 Southwest Freeway in Houston, Texas, on November 6, 2004.

The NIAA Master plan for sports development at the primary and secondary school levels throughout the Federation has been ready since June 2004. The executive summary of the plan has been sent to the Chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on Sports and we are still waiting for an invitation to present it and seek legislative support for its implementation nationwide. The NIAA has been mandated by its general membership (the HOUSE) to seek interested parties, amongst state governments and in the private sector, with whom to collaborate and implement this plan in their areas of operation since there is no interest shown as yet at the federal level.

The HOUSE has asked the NIAA to, in particular, seek possible collaboration with the multi-national oil companies for the purpose of implementing NIAA’s Grassroots Sports Development Master Plan in their areas/states of operation and hence helping to channel the energy of the restive youths into more constructive endeavors – endeavors that will bring pride to them and the nation.

The essential element of the Master Plan calls for the revival of competitive sports at the primary and secondary school levels across the nation. The athletes are discovered at the primary school level or early at the secondary school level. These budding stars are then subjected, all through secondary school, to special training and competition that would prepare them for university where they can perfect the skills and form necessary for international competition for Nigeria. A long-term component of the Master Plan calls for the provision of sports facilities in all zones of the country. Also, the plan requires the NIAA to bring international coaches and experts into Nigeria to help organize regular coaching courses for sports persons and officials.

The defection of Nigerian sports persons to other countries is of great concern to the NIAA. The cause of this problem is rooted in the neglect of, maltreatment of, lack of proper care for and/or insensitivity to the emotional needs of our young sportsmen and women by administrators. Some of the problem is also attributable to the fact that too many sports administrators are not former sports achievers themselves and, hence, do not really understand the temperament and true makeup of a sports achiever. The lack of proper care for and the poor treatment of Nigeria’s sportsmen and women have gone on for generations and something must now be done to address these maladies at the local, state and national levels. We must value and treat our athletes well to keep them from seeking citizenship in other countries where they can be better cared for, respected and nurtured to international stardom.

In order to produce and keep great international sports persons, Nigeria must put great premium on the welfare of her sportsmen and women. Effort must always be made to provide all their needs including facilities, equipment, medical attention, and prompt payment of allowances. Nigerian sports officials and administrators should become truly sensitive to the needs and aspirations of the vulnerable, young men and women who have dedicated themselves to bringing honor to Nigeria around the world. Nigeria’s sports administrators must always be prepared to treat our young sports persons as they would their own children – with respect, love, dignity and concern. This is how our overseas based sports persons are treated by their coaches and officials in order to bring out the best in them. The powers that be must also understand that prudence should be exercised to ensure that the right caliber of sports administrators and officials are selected.

The lack of accountability and proper management in Nigerian sports administration, and the misappropriation of funds allocated to sports by the government and the private sector are sources of great concern to the NIAA. After all these years, Nigeria deserves to have, as administrators, men and women of integrity and accountability who can be counted on to use available funds strictly to achieve the purpose for which these funds are allocated.

The banning of sports persons from the national team for speaking their minds, demanding their rightful entitlements, or for minor infractions must stop. Such rash decisions are counter productive, are destructive to the careers of the sports persons concerned and are often used by officials to intimidate the sports persons and protect their own guilt. An independent arbitrator or body of arbitrators should investigate any such matter before a sportsperson can be banned.

Nothing inspires a sportsperson to excellence like the promise of breaking an existing record. Accordingly, we see that the countries that lead the world in competitive sports have a plethora of sports records sources. These sources all have facilities for preserving sporting records and making them available to the public. There is no doubting the fact that statistics and records help to spur sportsmen and women to excellence, assist coaches and selectors in their team selection, provide sports reporters concise and irrefutable material for their reports, and arouse greater interest and excitement in the general public. NIAA will provide in its Master Plan a template for collecting and preserving records in all levels of sports starting from the Secondary School level upwards and dating back to possibly the beginning of the 20th century, and for setting up and maintaining Halls of Fame for the sports that may not currently have them.

Mr. Akin Aboyade-Cole established a $50,000.00 dollar scholarship endowment fund in memory of his brother and former international/Olympic hurdler Adeola Aboyade-Cole, who was the fore-runner of the movement of Nigerian athletes to American Universities.

10. Elections were conducted as mandated by the NIAA constitution and the following officers were elected to conduct the affairs of the association for the next three years: President – Dr. Bruce Tajinere Ijirigho, Vice President – Moses Adebanji, Gen. Secretary – Harrison Salami, Asst. Gen. Secretary – Ms. Rita Didikiri, Treasurer – Prof. Nwafejoku Uwadibie, Fin. Secretary – Ms. Hope Waobikeze, PRO – Innocent Egbunike, Asst. PRO – Paul Emordi and Parliamentarian – Dr. Chikpe Okeke.

The HOUSE also ratified the appointment of the following dignitaries to serve on the board of trusties of the NIAA: Dr. Macauley Ojeaga, Mr. Lee Evans, Maj. Gen. Steve Asemota, Late Hon. Steve Ibn Akiga, Ms. Modupe Oshikoya, and Mr. Ayanti Udo Udoma.

The NIAA executive was mandated by the House to work in collaboration with all Nigerian Sports Federations and other international sports bodies in implementing its programs.

The New York / New Jersey region won the bid to host the 5th. NIAA National Convention tentatively scheduled for October 27 – 29, 2005.

Nigeria should implement the NIAA Master Plan NOW in order to get the country back on the right path to sustainable progress in the area of sports. As Aristotle said, “Excellence is not an act, it is a habit”. If Nigeria is ever to excel in sports, all Nigerians – the spectating public, the sportsmen and women, the mass media, the sports administrators, institutions of learning, sponsors and all governments have to make it a habit to do the right thing for sports in Nigeria. The NIAA Master Plan tries to show everyone exactly how to do that.

Signed

Bruce T. Ijirigho, Ph.D. Harrison Salami Innocent Egbunike
President Gen. Secretary Public Relations Officer

Press Article by SMART E. AKRAKA

A Speech by Mr. Smart E. Akraka, Foundation President, Nigeria Olympians Association [NOA], in November 2004, in the United States of America

I am very happy and quite proud, to be here at this Convention and celebration. I feel honoured to have been asked to contribute some views and ideas, as well as being invited to attend this important Convention. I am happy, because this gathering is like a very special social reunion for me, as, in my previous capacity as a sports administrator and team manager at the national level, I have closely interacted with many of you here, from way back in the mid-seventies. It is very refreshing that some thirty years on, we can meet again to socialize, exchange ideas and learn from one another.

I am proud to be at this Convention because the caliber of people here, particularly the members of this sports-related Association, is an illuminating example of the best combination of education and sports. You are such high-quality products in your careers and professions, and, good community members, that you are role models and worthy ambassadors of the natural blend of top-class education and sports. Nigeria, and the entire global sports community, will always be proud of your generation.

Like most of you participating in this Convention, I was once a member of the Nigerian Athletics Team and, like some of you, I also represented Nigeria in the Olympic Games, in Rome in 1960. I am now the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Athletics Association, a member of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and, the founding and current President of the Nigeria Olympians Association, NOA. It is therefore only normal that, I should give you a brief semi-official report of Nigeria;s participation at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and the general state of sports in Nigeria.

In addition to the men and women who represented Nigeria in the Athens Olympics, there are now about 600 members of the Nigeria Olympians Association. This membership is made up of all the men and women who have represented Nigeria in the Olympic Games, since her first Olympic Games in Helsinki in 1952, in a dozen-odd sports disciplines.It is very instructive that right from the beginning, Nigeria’s participation in the world’s most prestigious multi-sport competition has benefited from the successful mix of education and sports.

Right from the fifties, Nigeria’s Olympic Games contingent, particularly the Athletics Team, has always been made up of graduates, undergraduates and athletes with higher education. By the seventies, during your time, all of Nigeria’s top athletes and internationals were products of the university system in the U.S.A. supplemented with a few from the Nigerian university system. Nigeria;s contingent to the 2004 Athens Olympics in eight-odd sports was made up university-educated sportsmen and women in the sports of athletics, women’s basketball and table tennis. However, in today’s world of sports, the most successful nations in the Olympic Games have usually groomed all their sportsman and women in all the various sports through their university sports-training systems. Virtually all professional sports today are taught and improved through education and the university/higher sports institute systems. The United States of America’s huge international success in most sports is the result of its strong sports base that is broad based and specialized at high school and university levels. Other nations in the world that want to achieve comparable international sports success must adopt this America programme and, Nigeria should go back with full commitment to this recipie of education and sports.

To be quite frank, Nigeria performed badly at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, winning just two bronze medals in the men’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays. The fairly good news, especially for the sport of Athletics or Track and Field, was the continuity in that Athens made it four consecutive Olympics, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004, in which Nigeria has won Olympic Games medals in Athletics. In all these four Olympic Games, Nigeria has won medals in the relay races.

In 1992 in Barcelona, Nigeria won a silver in the men’s 4x100m and a bronze in the women’s 4x100m. In Atlanta in 1996, Nigeria won a silver in the women’s 4x400m. In Sydney in 2000, Nigeria won a silver in the men’s 4x400m, and in Athens in 2004 Nigeria won bronze medals in the men’s 4x100m and 4x400m. This makes am impressive total of six relay medals in four Olympics, and when we add Nigeria’s first-ever Olympic Games Athletics medal, a bronze in the men’s 4x400m relay in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the grand total is seven relay medals from five Olympics, in the space of twenty years.

The consoling and inspiring aspects of these Olympic statistics is that Nigeria has continued to show the world that it is a power to be reckoned with in both the men’s and women’s sprints. We have sadly lost much ground in our other traditional strong events, the long jump and triple jump. Nigeria has won Olympic gold in the women’s long jump,’ gold in men’s football, silver in women’s weightlifting, and multiple silver and bronze medals in Boxing. Given all these credentials, the hard truth is that Nigerian sports at the highest international levels, is at the crossroads, and signs of decline are becoming noticeable, giving some cause for alarm and a speedy remedy.

All good things must run their course and eventually come to an end. The massive sports development programme, initiated in the early seventies, that focused on manpower development in terms of athletes and coaches as well as the building of a network of first-class infrastructure, served Nigeria very well right into the nineties. There is now urgent need for change and expansion.

Nigerian sports is in the revival process of being re-planned, retooled and eventually re-implemented. What are the lessons from the past that we can incorporate into new and more modern ideas to reposition and strengthened all levels of sports in Nigeria? We have to start with what is on the ground and it is not a pleasant picture.

There are now well over forty-five federal government, state government and private universities, over forty polytechnics and over thirty colleges of education in Nigeria today. Sadly, none of these institutions of higher learning are producing any world-class male or female athletes. This is the sorry state of sports development in Nigeria. Our stars athletes have aged, some have been to five Olympics. Where do we get the replacements for them, and how soon?

These Nigerian institutions are still producing middle-level Physical and Health Education graduates who are useful for recreational sports activities. Our sole National Institute for Sports in Lagos is producing middle-level coaches and administrators. There are currently no world-class coaches working in Nigeria today. Many of you in the audience remember when there were nine African-American Olympic stars and coaches working in Nigeria and a decade ago we had some Cuban Athletics coaches.

It is not all gloom. Some of your contemporaries are doing their bit as Directors of Sports, top sports administrators and coaches. There are more doctorate degree holders working in sports today in Nigeria. Yet, our problems of true sports development involving manpower and infrastructure still exist. Instead of going overseas for competitions we now send our various sportsmen to Cuba, Germany and Bulgaria for rushed cosmetic training just before competitions like the All-Africa Games and the Olympics.

Our sports development problems are manpower and infrastructure related. The Ministry of Sports itself recognizes these problems and on its part it has recently set up panels on how to administer football properly and a panel to examine why Nigeria faired so badly at the Athens Olympics. Some believe that we need to completely overhaul our sports administration structure. Some people are calling for a return to the National Sports Commission structure while others are calling for a more radical complete privatization of sports in Nigeria. The Nigeria Olympians Association is making suggestions on how to revive sports in Nigeria. We believe that Olympians should be more involved in the running of all sports Associations.

For whatever reasons, football or soccer seems to be the favoured sport of the state governments and even the federal government. Disproportionate amounts of funds are voted to run both male and female football. But our football success is really a mirage. Generally, Nigeria’s star male and female soccer stars are not as educated as their counterparts in Track and Field or Basketball. Most of them acquire their basic skills locally and are then bought by clubs in Europe who then turn them into super-skilled stars. These overseas ready-made stars are then assembled as our national team. It is no wonder that there is now a national clamour for world-class coached to truly develop home-grown football in Nigeria.

The major problem is the Nigerian economy, which is now very weak. The weak economy has impacted negatively on both education and sports. Proper funding of our Higher educational system is still a big problem and under these circumstances it is virtually impossible for these institutions to run comprehensive sports programmes or even afford to give scholarships to young sportsmen and women. Of course the federal ministry of sports or the state governments cannot themselves offer scholarships to young sportsmen and women to study in higher institutions in Nigeria or overseas in the U.S.A. and Europe.

Shortage of funds has meant that there are no modern sports infrastructure in many of these educational institutions and the newly-created states. As an example many young athletes have never seen hurdles. Lack of equipment and few competitions have not helped matters. The multinationals and companies have continued to help by sponsoring competitions in the various sports, but they could do a whole lot more. They in turn, argue that the quality of sports administration and transparency in the spending of sponsorship money must improve if they are to spend more on sports sponsorship in Nigeria.

The big challenge for all of us here and the sports community in Nigeria is how do we reconnect both education and sports to produce great sportsmen and women who are also very useful citizens of the community and country? We have done it before and we surely can do it again. We need the will and the commitment.

We must start with evolving a blueprint for success. We need a long-term programme and we must identify standards that we will faithfully adhere to. Short-cuts have not and will not help us.

We must have an official sports policy that permanently links education to sports. Nigeria as a nation cannot run away from the time-proven axiom of producing young men and women with sound minds in sound bodies who will become better citizens and builders of a strong and progressive nation. As they say, we have to catch them young, which means, we must start from the primary schools. Every primary school must have a playing ground. Instead of mere physical education exercises, the pupils must be taught the rudiments of a few selected sports. And instead of non-specialist Games masters there should be specialist sports masters. Then there must be regular primary school competitions in the various sports at local government, state and national levels. A reward scheme of prizes and scholarships will encourage better performances and dedication.

At the secondary school level there will be more sports and more specialization and of course more and better-trained coaches. It is at the high school level of education that the future superstars in the various sports are spotted . Their careers are then clearly mapped-out. They are late exposed to and given specialized training and grooming in the university system. Our high schools should really be our breeding grounds and the universities the finishing schools if we are to continue to produce generations of first-class international sports men and women non-stop, in a spectrum of about twenty different sports.

We have identified where and how Nigeria can produce whole new generations of world-class sportsmen and women. How do we now get the young talents and potentials to these places for specialized training, keep and groom them there, and then ensure that they achieve international success? Like every other sector of the Nigerian economy, education and sports need a lot of private sector participation, sponsorship and business partnership, for these sectors to come alive again and contribute their quota towards national development. Private sector organizations and Non-Government Organisations NGOs, both local and international are very welcome to help grow the education and sports sectors in Nigeria.

Associations like yours, must be highly commended for your initiatives to help jump-start a new sports development momentum in Nigeria. Making it possible for young qualified sportsmen and women to obtain scholarships to study and train in universities in the U.S.A. will indeed be a great and lasting contribution.

Other areas of support such as the donation of sports kit and equipment to schools, clubs, in the rural and urban areas, sponsorship of regular competitions at school, junior and senior levels in all sports across the nation, and, sponsorship of teams and clubs to compete in international tournaments, are gradually coming into place.

I must go back to our original theme and state some very obvious facts. Education and Sports go hand in hand, and are inseparable. I believe that they have a Chicken and Egg relationship in that Education is Sports and Sports is Education.

Sports is education. It is a useful learning process in the upbringing of children and young people. In sports you learn the basics of life. You learn early in life that there are no short-cuts, that you must train to win, that there is no gain without pain, that you cannot fake it or disguise your form, that you must play by the rules and be law-abidding, that you must not cheat, use illegal performance-enhancing substances, and the overriding spirit of sportsmanship and fair-play.

When these guidelines and principles of sports are adhered to with commitment, young sportsmen and women usually grow to become useful and responsible members of the community and nation. Sports maketh a man and a woman. Sports make good human beings. To live a fuller and richer life young sportsmen and women need to be further educated too, in many other fields and in sports too. Every young man and woman in Nigeria should have a right to both sports and education.

Education is inseparable from sports in that the progress of both is intertwined. Thanks to further education and research there have been very significant improvements in sports, in the areas of kit and equipment manufacturing, training techniques in all sports, sports marketing and promotion, sports management and agencies, sports medicine and techniques for detecting the use of illegal substances. It is therefore obvious that today’s sportsman and woman must in turn be well-educated to keep up and have a successful career in sports.

We have shown how sports right from childhood should ideally go hand in hand with formal education. This is the path we have to emphasize in Nigeria. While sports help to make sports-people better individuals, they also need higher education and professions they can fall back on for life when their sporting careers become naturally over. Through sports scholarships we should pave the way for our youth to acquire knowledge in their fields of choice. For those who also decide to choose sports-related careers, university education in these sports-related careers are very useful too.

I will like to highlight an interesting case-study on the importance of education and sports to the youth. There is an alarming state of youth unemployment coupled with restiveness and resort to violence in certain parts of the Niger Delta of Nigeria. We believe that these youths can better channel their boundless energy into sports with some of them ultimately becoming full-time professional sportsmen with fulfilling and rewarding careers. We are working hard to give these youth a lifeline of education and sports.

Education and Sports should be the birthright of all the youth of the world. Education and Sports will make them better human beings who will be guided by the principles of Olympism. The world definitely needs better human beings guided by sportsmanship and fair play. Your organization and many others offering the youth of the world education and sports deserve praise and encouragement. I thank you and wish you well.

SMART E. AKRAKA

November 2004.

Press Article by NIAA

Nigeria has a population of over 120 million people and is the gene pool of the greatest black athletes in the world. The country ought to be a dominant force in the world of sports. Unfortunately, Nigeria has performed poorly in the Olympic Games and other international competitions in recent years. The problem is that Nigeria has failed over the years to develop and implement programs designed specifically to discover talented athletes at a young age and groom them into international stars. The only way for Nigeria to guarantee the production of world champion athletes on a continuous basis is to implement a well articulated national sports development program that requires the mass participation of youths at the primary and secondary school levels throughout Nigeria.

This proposal is a two phased master plan for the resuscitation of sports at the grassroots level in Nigeria. Phase one is the annual Junior Olympic Games whose purpose at the Primary School level, is to identify talent at an early age and develop training programs that will enable them to improve progressively through their primary school years. At the Secondary School level the purpose is to identify and train the young athletes in a controlled and closely monitored environment (boarding house) so that they can perfect their skills, improve their performances and prepare for international Junior and possibly senior competitions, including the Olympic Games. The competitions are organized in four different age categories – the Junior Primary, Senior Primary, the Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary. Numerous incentives and benefits such as a secondary school scholarship, a university scholarship at home or overseas, training grants for star athletes are guaranteed for youths that decide to dedicate themselves to the cause of becoming international champions for Nigeria. This program will provide meaningful engagement, necessary distraction and a source of hope for Nigeria’s restive youths. The benefits of this program will be immense for the youths, parents, ruling government, and Nigerians everywhere.

During the first edition of the Games, competition will be limited to a few sports. In subsequent years, more sports will be added as the need arises. The competitions will progress from Intra School Competition, to Local Government Championships, to State Championships, to Zonal Championships and on to the National Junior Olympic Games. Over 9900 athletes and officials are expected to take part in the National Junior Olympic Games in Abuja. Government and the private sector are expected to fund the Games. We believe that the Legislature, President and Vice President, State Governors, and the Minister for sports should spearhead the effort to raise funds through the private sector for organizing the Games and implementing the second phase of this project. Their involvement adds credibility to the effort and allows the money to be raised quickly for implementing the activities as planned.

The purpose of the series of competitions leading to the Junior Olympic Games is to discover talent at a very young age. Once the athletes are discovered, then phase II begins. The “real work” here is that of transforming these young athletes into international stars within 8 – 10 years of their discovery. The best athletes from every sport and events will be awarded scholarships and distributed to selected secondary schools with boarding facilities across the country. The scholarship will cover room and board, tuition, pocket money, books, transport money, training kits and incidentals. At these schools, coaches will expose them to specially designed training programs in their events or sport. In addition to their athletic progress, they will be expected to maintain a minimum level of academic performance in order to keep their scholarship from year to year.

Press Article by NIAA

The Nigerian International Athletes Association (NIAA) was established by Nigerian athletes of all sports in Houston, Texas in October 2000. The mission of the NIAA is to provide Nigerian youths with the support needed to achieve greatness for themselves and our dear country in the international sports arena. The second objective of NIAA is to foster goodwill and comradeship among former Nigerian sportsmen and women all over the world. NIAA is ready and willing to work with sports organizations, associations and corporate bodies anywhere in the world as long as the relationship is mutually beneficial and furthers the mission of the NIAA. The NIAA is currently developing programs that will be implemented to further its mission.

The NIAA believes strongly that in order for Nigeria to achieve sustainable greatness in international sports, sportsmen and women must be well trained, properly cared for, provided with all the amenities needed to excel, and made the centerpiece of all plans. They should be put in the drivers seat because without them there will be no administrators or officials. Nigerian sports officials and administrators should become truly sensitive to the needs and aspirations of the vulnerable, young men and women who have dedicated themselves to bring honor to Nigeria around the world. After all these years, Nigerian sports deserve men and women of integrity and accountability, who can be counted on to honor their written and spoken words and who must treat our young athletes as they would their own children.

The embezzlement of funds and lack of accountability has taken away money required for assisting the athletes and implementing meaningful development programs for Nigerian sports in recent years. The sports polity should be wiped clean of the “rotten eggs” so that Nigerians can enjoy a level of success that is commensurate with their investment in the sports sector

The resolution of these two issues will immediately stop the defection of our athletes to other countries and set the stage for great sports achievements for Nigeria in international sports. Nigerian sports administrators and the press are invited to the 3rd Annual NIAA Convention to be held in Seattle, Washington from October 25th to 27th, 2002.

Please refer all questions and enquiry to the following:

Bruce Tajinere Ijirigho, Ph.D.,
President NIAA: brucei@netvalue.net

Harrison Salami,
Secretary: nosatah@coserv.net.

Suleiman Alli
Public Relations Officer and Athletes Coordinator: tolbert7@hotmail.com