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UniliversiV M io m lm s International 300 IM. ZEEB ROAD, ANN ARBOR, Ml 48106 18 BEDFORD ROW, LONDON WC1R 4EJ, ENGLAND 8100099

A b io y e, Joseph A d e g b o y e g a

THE ESTABLISHMENT AND THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE NATIONAL SPORTS COMMISSION IN NIGERIA

The Ohio State University Ph.D. 1980

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U niversi^ M iaoFilm s International 300 N ZEES RD.. ANN ARSOF VII J8106 '3131 761-4700 THE ESTABLISHMENT AND THE ACHIEVEMENTS OP THE

NATIONAL SPORTS COMMISSION IN NIGERIA

DISSERTATION

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate

School of the Ohio State University

By

Joseph Adegboyega Abioye, M.A.

b '.A., D. A.B.U.

*****

The Ohio State University

1980

Reading Committee: Approved by

Dr. Seymour Kleinman

Dr. Ted Coates

Dr. James Sweeney Adviser School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation To my son

’Dayo Abioye ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author is much grateful to Dr. Seymour Kleinman for the wonderful job done to see that this writing comes to a successful conclusion. Thank you for actively encouraging me to keep going even when I was weary, languid, and despondent.

Thank you for being so good in your advise and human relation.

You are a wonderful friend.

To Dr. Ted Coates, a member of my committee, the author is very appreciative of your guidance, encouragement and atten­ tion given to him during the preparation of this dissertation.

To Dr. James Sweeney, the author shows his gratitude for taking the trouble to read throught this dissertation and for the useful advise given throughout the preparation and writing of this book.

The author is also grateful to all those who have contri­ buted to the success of this writing. Sincere thanks are given to all the members of Staff of the National Sports Com­ mission, the States Sports Councils, the Universitites and

Colleges of Education who responded to my questionnaire. To those who did not respond to my questionnaire, the author is also grateful for by so doing, they have made him a stronger man.

Some of the many people who have helped the author in this exercise and whom the author is indebted to are Mr. Isaac

(ii) A. Akioye, Director of National Sports Commission; Mr. Joseph

Ade Oyewusi/ the Acting Director of the Institute of Physical

Education, University of Ife; Dr. John A. Adedeji, the Acting

Head of the Department of Physical, Health Education, Univer­ sity of Ibadan; Dr. Daniel 0. Ogunbiyi, Head of Department of

Physical Education, Oyo State College of Education, Ilesa;

Mr. T. Deji Shinaba, the Deputy Director of Sports, Lagos

State Sports Council; Mr. Leke Oloyede, Volleyball Coach,

Lagos State Sports Council; and Mr. Bayo Babajide, Principal

Sports Organizer, Oyo State Sports Council, Ibadan.

Others that deserve praise and gratitude are Mr. Adekunle

Mosobalaje, Mr. Kunmi Adedeji both members of the National

Youth Service Corp.; Mr. Kehinde, Tutor, Adeyemi College of

Education, Ondo; Mr. Lawrence Agge, Graduate student at the

University of Ibadan; and all the students in the Institute of

Physical Education, University of Ife, Nigeria. They have all

contributed to the success achieved by the author. The author

is therefore thankful to all of them.

The author expresses his thanks to Claudia Spencer for

her skill and dexterity in typing the draft and final of the

dissertation.

The author on a more personal basis, wishes to express

his deep appreciation and profound love to Olatundun Asunke

for her understanding and endurance throughout the author's

absence from home. Unreserved thanks also goes to Monilola

Atoke for her sincerity and aid. But for their patience,

cooperation and encouragement, this venture would not have

(iii) been possible. To all my children who sacrificed a father's love and care for the three years the author spent away from home in search of the golden fleece, he is very grateful.

Finally, the author, in the loving memory of his son, dedicates this dissertation to Adedayo Adeolu lyanda. Poor

'Dayo, he died so soon, just when his life was opening to him.

May his soul rest in peace. Amen.

(iv) VITA

August 1, 1935 Born - Iwo, Oyo State, Nigeria

1959 Higher Elementary Teachers' Certificate Apostolic Teachers' College Ilesha, Nigeria

1959-1960 Headmaster, Araromi B.C. School Iwo, Nigeria

1963 Diploma, Physical Education Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria

1964 Principal, Multilateral Grammar School Okun-Owa, Nigeria

1965-1969 Physical Education Teacher, Ibadan Local Authority Teachers' College Ibadan, Nigeria

1973 Bachelor of Art (B.A. Hons.), Degree in Physical and Health Education, Education and English University of Ife Ile-Ife, Nigeria

1973-1974 Volleyball Coach Western State Sports Council

1974-1978 Lecturer/Coach University of Ife Ile-Ife, Nigeria

1976-1978 Chairman Oyo State Volleyball Association

1977 Vice President National Volleyball Referees' Association

1979 M.A., Physical Education Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.

(v) FIELDS OF STUDY

Major Field: Physical Education, Sports Administration

Minor Field; Educational Administration: Administration of

Higher Education

(vi) TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...... ii

VITA...... V

LIST OF TABLES...... x

LIST OF FIGURES...... xii

Chapter

I. INTRODUCTION...... 1

Statement of the Problem...... 6 Significance of the Study...... 7 The Scope of the Study...... 10 Hypotheses...... 11 The Theoretical Frame Work...... 12 Methods and Procedures...... 14 Preliminary Procedures...... 14 Questionnaire...... 15 Letters...... 15 Library Research...... 16 Interview...... 17 Collection and Analysis of Materials...... 17 Definition of Terms Used...... 18 Abbreviations...... 20 Footnotes...... 21

II. THE COUNTRY OF NIGERIA...... 24

Position and Size...... 25 Physical Features...... 25 Climatic Features...... 28 Ecological Factors...... 33 Historical Factors...... 36 The Pre-Colonial Period...... 36 The Advent of the British People...... 43 The Period of Independence...... 47 First Republic...... 52 Second Republic...... 56 Third Republic...... 59 Footnotes...... 61

(vii) Chapter Page

III. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SPORTS...... 63

Sports Facilities and Equipment...... 66 Empire Day Sports...... 74 Inter-School Athletic Compeitions...... 77 The Rowden Shield...... 81 The Governor's Shield...... 83 The Grier Cup...... 83 The Hussey Shield...... 86 The Ross Shield...... 89 Inter-Club Competitions...... 96 Footnotes...... 113

IV. THE BIRTH OF THE NATIONAL SPORTS COMMISSION 116

Effects of the Civil War on Sports...... 133 Sports after the Civil War...... 137 Organization of Soccer...... 141 Formation of Other Associations...... 151 The Sports Decree...... 152 Organizational Structures...... 160 The State's Sports Councils...... 163 Formation of the State Sports Councils...... 166 How a Typical State Sports Council was Formed.. 167 Objectives...... 168 Organizational Set Up ...... 170 Achievements of the State Sports Council...... 173 The Summary of the Birth of the National Sports Commission...... 177 Footnotes...... 179

V. ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF SPORTS..... 182

School Sports...... 188 Higher Institutions and Sports...... 195 The West Africa Unversity Games...... 202 National Sports Festivals...... 216 All Africa Games...... 230 The Challenge Cup...... 246 Achievements of the National Sports Commission...... 251 Generation of Funds for Sports...... 262 The Summary of Organization and Administration of Sports...... 267 Footnotes...... 269

VI. ANALYSIS OF DATA...... 274

(viii) Chapter Page

VII. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS...... 288

Summary...... 288 Conclusions...... 295 Recommendations...... 299 Footnotes...... 308

APPENDICES...... 309

A. Letter Written to Questionnaire Respondents.... 311 B. Questionnaire...... 313 C. Sports Ambassadors to Commonwealth Games, 1950-1974...... 331 D. Medal Tables in the Commonwealth Games, 1950-1974...... 339 E. Members of the Organizing Committee...... 342 F. Third National Sports Festival, Final Medals Table...... 344 G. Address of Lt-General Olusegun Obasanjo at the 1977 Sports Festival...... 346 H. 3rd National Sports Festival Kaduna, State Entries...... 351 I. Composition of Contingents to Second All- Africa Games, Lagos, Nigeria...... 360 J. Second All-Africa Games, 1973, Medal Winners in Athletics...... 362 K. Records Established During the 2nd All-Africa Games Lagos, Nigeria— 1973...... 366 L. Second All-Africa Games, Lagos, Nigeria, 1973 Medals Tables...... 368 M. 3rd National Sports Festival, Fund Raising Federal...... 370

BIBLIOGRAPHY...... 380

(ix) LIST OF TABLES

TABLES Page

1. Early Trophies for Nigerian Schools and Colleges in Track and Field Events...... 80

2. Outstanding Schools and Colleges That Took Part in Inter-School Athletic in Nigeria...... 82

3. The Roden Shield (1st Shield 1910-1925)...... 84

4. First Ross Shield (2nd Shild 1926-1954)...... 90

5. The Second Ross Shield (3rd Shield 1955-1966)...... 92

6. The Third Ross Shield (4th Shield 1967-Present) 93

7. Nigeria at Vancouver Games, 1954...... 122

8. Nigeria at Cardiff Games, 1958...... 127

9. Table of Medals Won by Nigeria in the 1966 Kingston Jamaica Games...... 132

10. Medals Won in the 1974 Games in Christchurch, New Zealand...... 140

11. Venues of the Nigerian University Games and Winners. 203

12. Medal Table for the Fourth West Africa University Games, Lagos, Nigeria...... 206

13. Records Created by University of Ife Athletes in the 5th W.A.U.G...... 207

14. Current Members Unversities of W.A.U.G...... 208

15. Medal Table Showing Achievements of the Participat­ ing Universitites in the 6th W.A.U.G. Held at the University of Ife, Nigeria, 1977...... 212

16. Medals Analysis Sport by Sport, W.A.U.G., 1977...... 213

17. Medal Table for the First F.A.S.U. Held in Accra, Gahana in 1974/75...... 217

(X) TABLES Page

18. The 1975 F.A.S.U. Records...... 218

19. Fourth National Sports Festival, Ibadan, 1979, Final Medals Table...... 231

20. Medal Winners in the First All-Africa Games, Congo Brazzaville, July 18-25, 1965...... 239

21. Winners of the Challenge Cup from 1945-1979...... 249

22. Winners of the African Cup of (Nation) Unity from 1957-1980...... 260

23. The Responses to Questionnaire B (Field Personnel) by Frequencies...... 277

24. Progress and Development in Sport...... 279

25. The Responses to Questionnaire B (Field Personnel) by Frequencies...... 281

26. Data On Equipment and Facilities...... 283

27. Data Concerning Athletes...... 284

28. Achievement made by N.S.C...... 285

29. Factors Impeding Achievement in Sports as Ranked by Respondents by Frequencies...... 287

(xi) LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURES Page

1. Physical Features of Nigeria...... 27

2. Nigeria, Pressure and Winds a) January, and b) July...... 30

3. Rainfall Map of Nigeria...... 31

4. Nigeria; Climatic Types...... 32

5. Maps of Nigeria Showing the Major Ethnic Groups and Regional Belts...... 35

6. The Structure of the Organizations Controlling Sports in Nigeria...... 157

7. Organizational Structure of N.S.C...... 162

8. Organizational Set Up of the N.S.C...... 164

9. Organizational Structure of the State Sports Council...... 174

10. The Early Structure of Central Organization for Amateur Sports in Nigeria...... 187

(xii) CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

The success of any organization, institution, corporation

firm or commission depends solely on the strength of the admin­

istrative structure. On the other hand, the success of any

administration depends on the quality of leadership. Success­

ful administrators are good organizers, managers, supervisors,

and directors. They must not be commanders, task masters or

bullies.

Sport, nowadays, has become a business, an enterprise which needs a very sound administration to succeed. The time

has passed when Nigeria took sport as merely fun and as such

anybody could organize or administer it. As Nigeria is devel­

oping sport, there is the need for administrative development,

there are not available data to show how sport was organized

before the advent of the while men in Nigeria. Modern sport

was brought to Nigeria by the missionaries and European clubs.

The establishment of missionary schools and European clubs

initiated the nation into modern sports. In one of his sport

commentaries Laguda said:

"....Sports were able to gain enough ground in our country because we like them for as much as the society has no choice to compete with them....These sports serve as socializing factor and we as Niger­ ians would like to be socialized with the contem­ porary world through sports. By tradition most of the foreigners who introduced these sports into our society were not ambivalent in their approach toward sports and other disciplines within our society. They did not allow either cultural iner­ tia or cultureal lag to strangle sports to death."

The growth of Nigerian sports in the last fifty years has been quite phenomenal. To any lover of sports it would be plenty of fun watching the growth from the sidelines. But to the lucky few who have had the pleasure of being part of the growth themselves, over the period, it cannot but be the priviledge of a lifetime.

Modern sports did not begin in Nigeria until the mid 1940's, after World War II, when there was a sort of renaissance of modern sports in the African countries. This was brought about by the exposure of African soldiers to the Western concept of freedom during the war, and the return of some few Nigerians from overseas countries. These people, having seen the modern sports in the countries where they visited and studied, saw the need for sports participation.

In fact, many schools were founded in Nigeria in early 1940's and there was the need to establish modern sports. There was a need for good organization of sports in the nation if these modern sports were to stay. Laguda, supported this new view in his article, "Revolutionizing Sports in Nigeria;"

....A high standard of sports performance goes hand in hand with a high standard of sports organization. The history of sports in Nigeria dates back to the beginning of 20th century. The foundation stone of organized sports in the country was not laid until early 1940's when the football, athletics, and box­ ing associations were formed in Lagos by a group of Europeans, Nigerians and other African individuals 3

either in the civil service or the private life...."^ Nigeria owed much to the Europeans who were in both the public and private sectors of the country in the development of sports, be it Football, Athletics, Boxing, Table Tennis, and Lawn Tennis. In the 1930's to 60's they contributed much to the recretional life of Nigerians. It was common to see the Europeans actively engaged and helping in one sport or the other, also spending their money both for sports equip­ ments and the participants.

As a result of the growth of schools in Nigeria, sports started to be administred by some interested teachers in schools. This gave birth to the annual inter-house and inter­ school competitions. Moreover, more clubs were being formed in all parts of the country and Nigeria was competing with the outside world. Football, known as soccer in the United

States, was the most popular and organized sport in Nigeria.

Although football has been played in Nigeria on an organized basis since the early 1920's, the Nigeria Football Associa­ tion was only established in 1944. The games was fairly well cared for by a very few local associations among whom are some of the pioneers of the games. These small scale organi­

zers were from Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Calabar, Plateau Pro­ vince and Abeokuta. The function of the Nigeria Football

Association at this time was limited to within the country.

This function was clearly defined by the "Nigerial Year Book

for 1954 :" ....Orginally, the main function of the N.F.A., as it is commonly known was the organizing of the Governor's Cup Competition, which began with a meagre entry of only a few teams who could find the necessary finances to come to Lagos....^

The first occasion which brough the N.F.A. into National attention was in 1949 when the first official football team ventured from Nigeria to visit Great Britain. This adventure

gave rise to formation of more football clubs and also created much enthusiasm in the Nigerian public. When the team arrived

from Britain, they toured the country of Nigeria demonstrating

their skills as well as their newly acquired ones.

Several Englishmen were said to have opened their mouth

in disbelief when they saw, perhaps for the first time the

all-black football team giving a good display of the English

game. The "UK Tourists," as the team was popularly known, was

believed to be the first team to leave West Africa for an over­

seas football tour. The team, comprising eighteen players and

one official, had no coach. The official who accompanied the

players was the then chairman of the Nigeria Football Associa­

tion, Mr. D.H. Holley. Commenting on the performances of the

team in general and one of the players in particular, one wri­

ter reported a journalist as saying;

"....So great was the impression the team made in Britain that a generous journalist reported that a member of the team, "Golden Boy" Titus Okere Tfae worth "one million pounds (felm)" now (N2m or and a row of houses in Kensington...."4

In the same year, 1944, the Amateur Athletic Association

of Nigeria was formed. The Association was controlling ath­

letics at this period and all the officials were honorary. 5

The business of the Association was conducted by a central committee consisting of the principal officers, members from the then regional committees, and nominated members from the police, education, and the Army. Normally, there were Colony,

Eastern, Western, and Northern Regional Committees to look after the interests of the Regions. However, over eighty Pro­ vincial Associations-which formed the solid foundation of the clubs themselves, were affiliated.

Another organization concerned with athletics in Nigeria was the Athletic Welfare Association formed independtly of the

A.A.A.N. Its function was understood to be the care of the athlete's interests.

Since this period, athletics and football had been organized by interested people who might have lacked the technical know­ ledge of sports administration. However, praise must be given to these pioneers of sports administration in Nigeria. A series of athletic competitions were organized yearly. It was remarkable that the A.A.A. of Nigeria was able to select its

Olympic teams in 1944 and organized the whole European Tour, the

Nigerian Olympic, and British Empire Games Association in col­ laboration.

At the All-Nigeria Athletic Championships held in the Uni­ versity College Sports Ground, Ibadan, on Saturday, April3, 1954,

the need for adequate facilities, competent personnel and dedi­ cated athletes was stressed by the then President of A.A.A. of

Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe in his address to the participants, organizers, and the spectators. He said; "....other things being equal, I venture to pedict that, in the immediate future, Nigerians can still make history in the realm of athletics. In my hum­ ble opinion, Nigeria can realize this dream pro­ vided certain essential prerequisites are satisfied. I have in mind the provision of properly graded and marked running tracks and the availability of coaches in the various events. If these imperative needs are met, supplemented with the supply of serious athletes who will undergo systematic train­ ing in the techniques of track and field athletics, we should improve our standards to lift us up from a position of apparent obscurity to world c l a s s . " 5

Added to the foregoing was the development of University

Games, and the promotion of national and zonal games in

Africa which in the respective turns took the form of sports festivals in different categories. The last fifty years have seen sports development become a source of pride and pleasure, in spite of the inevitable problems associated with active growth in any form of human endeavour and which, in sports, is part of the training processes.

Such was the situation of things when sport was only thought of as a past-time activity. Prior to this time the majority of Nigerians thought that only lazy people, run about without anything chasing them or they chasing something.

It was now probable that sport administration and organiza­ tion had taken a new shape.

Statement of the Problem;

The main purpose of the study is to determine and ana­ lyze the working system of the National Sports Commission vMch was established to administer the development of sport in

Nigeria. The study is aimed at finding suitable answers to 7 the following questions that arise from the problem under study and make recommendations:

1. Why did the Federal Government of Nigeria establish the National Sport Commission and the State Sports Councils?

2. What is the organizational structure of the Sports Commission and how strong is it?

3. Does the establishment of the National Sports Com­ mission have any significant effect on sports in Nigeria?

4. What are the problems facing the National Sports Commission in its effort to develop sports?

5. What is the impact of the physical education depart­ ments in the Nigerian Universities on the National Sports Commission?

6. What are the roles of the National Sports Commis­ sions's Institute in developing sports in Nigeria?

7. Does the establishment of the National Sports Com­ mission create any job opportunity for the 'athle­ tes ' ?

8. What has been the impact of the technological advances on sports development in Nigeria?

9. What are the achievements of the National Sports Commission?

Significance of the Study:

There are many factors that contribute to the develop­

ment of sports in any nation, Nigeria inclusive. These fac­

tors have been used by developed nations to promote sports.

Sports development has a long history and it is a fact that

no nation has ever found it easy to develop sports.

Some of the factors that contributed to sports develop­

ment of a nation have been enumerated by Eitzen and Sage.® 8

They include the invention of the steam engine, railway trains, electricity, motor cars, airplanes, communication, photography, radio, televisions and videos. Other factors are adequate facilities, personnel, finance, and the manufac­ ture of inexpensive sports equipment for the large masses and of course the support of the masses and the government. The investigator is curious to know whether the Nigerian Sports

Administrators make effective use of them.

There is no doubt that administration plays an important role in sports development. Good administration, Healey and

Healey^ say, plans to solve future problems, organizes, directs and informs those involved of the anticipated changes which are to take place in the future; informs and brings small minority groups into the total picture so that their efforts can be coordinated with the total group in a uniform effort to solve problems; coordinates the talents of all the individuals in a total effort and creates an "esprit de corps" among the participants.

Good administration should concern itself with guiding human behavior in the service of some goal. Due to the wide diversity of roles which constitute 'athletic' administration, it therefore aims at stressing the characteristic of leader­

ship. Healey and Healey stressed this wide diversity when they wrote:

....The administration of athletics encompasses many sports and the administrator of this program must relate well to all areas of education and athletics in order to have a well-rounded program. All coaches and directors of athletics must have acquired a good definition of athletics on which to base this beliefs of administrative responsibilities.

Before the birth of Sports Councils and Sports Commis­ sion in Nigeria, administration of sports had been empirical in nature. Most competitions had been held through trial and error over a long period of time. With the establishement of the National Sports Commission and the State Sports Councils, a series of questions have come to the writer's mind. Why has the government of Nigeria established the Commission? What is the structure of the commission and what are its functions?

Has there been any significant achievement in sports adminis­ tration since the inception of the Commission? Who finances sports in Nigeria? These and other related questions need answers.

The success or failure of any organization is determined by many factors such as creative leadership and sound manage­ ment. Administration at all levels is becoming increasing complex. The rate of change in our society has accelerated.

Techniques and methods of administering must change with the times and newer ways of doing things must replace those which are obsolete. Defining administration. Frost and Marshall

said :

.Administration consists of the leadership and guidance of individuals, the procuring and manipulat­ ing of resources, and the coordinating of many diverse efforts to the end that effective progress be made toward the achievement of the goals and purposes of an organization."9 10

It is the hope of the investigator that the understand­ ing of the administrative structure of the Commission will contribute to the development of pride and happiness in all those Nigerians involved in sports. This study will also offer an opportunity to the athletes themselves to know more about how sports, which they participate in, are being orga­ nized and administerd. Thus, the investigation into the adm­ inistrative structure of the National Sports Commission and its impact on sports development in Nigeria is long overdue.

It is the investigator's hope that the study will serve as an eye opener to the effect of the Commission as well as an incentive to all connected with sports to further plan for an improvement on the present sporting conditions.

Undoubtedly, the result of this investigation will surely meet with favor of those who have, in one way or the other, contributed to the growth of sports in Nigeria, and will also be a stepping stone to further studies in sports administra­ tion. It is hoped that the achievements of the N.S.C. if pointed out will serve as incentives to both sports adminis­ trators and athletes to improve their performance.

The Scope of the Study;

This study will concern itself with the periods when

Nigeria was beginning to realize the need for good sports administration. However, it is the intention of the investi­ gator to review what happened in sports administration shortly before the establishment of the National Sports Commission in 11 the country. The study will cover briefly the working sys­ tem of the Commission, its administrative involvement in sporting activities in Nigeria. Administration of sports festivals and sports competitions in Nigeria will also be dealt with by this study. The writer intends to find out the achievements made by the National Sports Commission.

The less popular sports competitions among clubs, and school competitions that are not connected with the Commis­ sion will not be included. This study will give recommenda­ tions that will be useful to all lovers of sports in the country.

Hypotheses ;

Considering the scope of this study, the following hypo­ theses will form the basis of the investigator's criteria:

1. That the establishment of the National Sports Commission has had a positive effect on sports in Nigeria.

2. That the success or failure of sports in Niferia depends on the type of leadership and personnel.

3. That the growth of industry and technology has great impact on sports.

4. That the production of qualified personnel in the field of physical education has helped to develop sports in the country.

5. That finance is a crucial factor in shaping the future of sports in Nigeria.'

6. That considerable achievement has been made in sports. 12

The Theoretical Frame Work;

Educators, physical educators, and administrators have used various structures and frame works in establishing their works. The writer has studied and taken full cogni­ zance of various authors, scholars, and writers on sports and games, physical education and administrators, among whom are Seymour Kleinman,^® Charles a Bucher,Reuben B. Frost and Stanley J. Marshall,D. Stanley Eitzen,13 George H.

Sage and Stanley Eitzen,^^ John T. Talamini and Charles H.

P a g e , Roald F. Campbell, Edwin M. Bridges, and Raphavel

0. Nystrand,^^ Bruce Bennet, Maxwell Howell, and Uriel Simri,^^

P.O. McIntosh,Deobold B. Van Daley and Bruce L. Bennet,

Daniel 0. Ogunbiyi, Victor Baldridge, Dand Curtis, George

Eklger and Gary Riley.The investigator utilized the var­ ious ideas of the writers mentioned above in carrying out his work. The framework used for analyzing the establishment of the National Sports Commission and its achievement in

Nigeria is as follows:

1. The Country of Nigeria;

a) The writer gave the geographical location and condition of the country of Nigeria talking about its position and size, phy­ sical features, and climatic features. This was to allow the reader to be familiar with the country in order to know what factor did and did not favor sports in the country. b) Nigeria being colonized and ruled by the British government before independence in October, 1960, the investigator gave the historical events as related to sports before the advent of the white people and during the Colonial era as well as the period of 13

independence, first, second and third republic.

2. A panorama of the historical background of sports in Nigeria, provision of sports facilities, the Empire Day Sports, inter-school athletic competi­ tions, and inter-club competitions.

3. The birth of the National Sports Commission right from the formation of different sports associations in Nigeria was traced. The Sports Decree, aims and objectives and the organizational set up. The for­ mation of the States Sports Councils, their objec­ tives, set ups and achievements.

4. Organization and Administration of Sports;

a) The school sports was delt with because it served as the avenue to get into National and international sports.

b) Competitions among the universities of Nigeria.

c) The National Sports Festival which was the most outstanding competition that brought the Nation together annually.

d) An overview of the All Africa Games and Nigeria's participation in it.

e) The Challenge Cup Competition which was the annual soccer event in Nigeria.

f) Achievements made by the National Sports Commission.

g) How the National Sports Commission generated funds for the running of sports in the nation.

5. Based on the facts collected from people through the use of questionnaire, factors impeding the Sports Commission, welfare of sportsment and women, the sports personnel as well as the achievements of the Commission were discussed.

6. Recommendations were given for the improvement of sports through effective administration. 14

Methods and Procedures;

The historical research method was employed to collect and analyze materials connected with the topic of investiga­ tion. Information so collected was of primary and secondary use in developing the study. Facts, information, and data were collected from sports administrators, coaches, sports organizing secretaries, directors of physical education departments in the Nigerian Universities, sportsmen and women, sports fans, libraries, files, archieves, records and other possible sources related to the problem. For convenience, the investigator divided the methods and procedures of this study under six main sections. These were preliminary pro­ cedures, questionnaire, letter writing, library research, and collection and analysis of materials so collected.

Preliminary Procedures:

The investigator employed preliminary procedures in carrying out the study. These were (1) notification of peo­ ple who are involved in sports in Nigeria about the study and (2) preparation of theoretical framework for the inves­ tigation.

A field trip to Nigeria would possibly add value to this

study, but since this was not possible due to financial limi­

tations people who were connected with sports administration

in Nigeria were contacted through writing. The investigator

therefore, wrote letters to the people informing them about 15 his intention regarding the investigation and in addition collecting information from them. Some of the people were the Director of the National Sports Commission, Mr. I.A. Akioye, the Deputy Director of the National Sports Institute of

Sports, Dr. Awoture Eleyae, the various sports association secretaries at the National Sports Commission, the Directors,

Physical Education Departments of the Universities of Lagos,

Ibadan, Ife, Benin, and Ahmadu Bello University and some of the States' Directors of Sports.

Questionnaire ;

The investigator designed two questionnaires which pro­ vided information from selected people. The first question­ naire went to the staff of the National Sports Commission and the second went to others connected with Sports in

Nigeria but who were not directly working at the National

Sports Commission. All the questions in the questionnaire pinpointed the issue under study. The questions were search­ ing and one led to the other in order to keep continuity of the fact. The questions delt with the sports commission, its set up and its achievements in Nigeria. Random sampling techniques was used in administering the questionnaire.

Letters ;

Letters were written to friends in Nigeria to collect information. People who were contacted are sportsmen and sports women of fame, coaches, chairmen of sports association. 16 and voluntary sports administrators. Opinions of students in higher institutions of learning were also sought.

Library Research:

The investigator used the library research extensively as a primary source of information. Among the libraries used are the Ohio State University Main Library, College of

Education Library, and Pomerene Reading Room. Others include the undergraduate library, Joseph Sullivant Hall, and the departmental libraries in Ohio State University. The avail­ able materials such as books, periodicals, public documents, reports, microfilms, newspapers, news releases, journals, and previous studies were utilized. The investigator made use of some selected Nigerian newspapers, journals and periodicals.

Some of these were: The Daily Times, Sunday Times, Evening

Times, West African Pilot, Morning Post, and Nigeria Year

Book, all from Lagos; Daily Sketch, Sunday Sketch, Nigeria

Tribune from Ibadan; New Nigeria from Kaduna; Champion and

Echo from Benin; Drum, Spear, The Nigeria Teacher, Oyosport, and Souvenir Programmes of importantant competitions held in

Nigeria.

Available records, documents in files of sports associa- topms were used. The sports bodies were:

Amateur Athletic Association of Nigeria (AAAN) Nigeria Amateur Badminton Association (NABA) Nigeria Amateur Basketball Assocation (NABA) National Boxing Association of Nigeria (NBAN) Nigeria Cricket Association (NCA) Nigeria Football Association (NFA) Nigeria Amateur Handball Association (NAHA) 17

Nigeria Amateur Hockey Association (NAHA) Nigeria Amateur Judo Association (NAJA) Nigeria Lawn Tennis Association (NLTA) Nigeria Amateur Squash Racket Association (NASRA) Nigeria Amateur Swimming Association (NASA) Nigeria Table Tennis Association (NTTA) Nigeria Amateur Volleyball Association (NAVA) Nigeria Amateur Wrestling Association (NAWA)

Interview;

The use of effective interview would aid the investi­ gator in carrying out the study. Since it was not possible for the investigator to make a trip to Nigeria for this study, some lovers of sports, who were at one time or the other involved in sports, and who were in the United States of America in general, and the State of Ohio in particular were interviewed.

Collection and Analysis of Materials:

Useful materials were collected and preserved. Files were created for paper cutting and xeroxed materials. Books^ journals, periodicals, files, and record obtained were arranged and filed. The investigator went through all these materials and used them for the development of the framework of the study.

Questionnaire forms already filled and letters written were collected and studied critically. The investigator ana­ lyzed the data so collected into frequencies and percentages.

These were used to determine the working system and achieve­ ments of the National Sports Commission. 18

Definition of Terms Used:

The writer used some terms in this study which are defined as following:

Academicals - Refers to the group of soccer players selected

from Nigeria secondary schools.

Amateur - Refers to people who take part in sports without

being paid for the service done.

Associations - A group of constituted authority charged with

the organization of one form of sport or the

other.

Athletics - This means track and field events.

College - Refers to high schools and teachers' colleges

excluding higher institutions of learning.

Culture - Refers to a complex whole which includes knowledge,

beliefs, art, morals, laws, tools, customs, dresses,

and houses which are passed down from generation to

generation.

Commission - A body of experts set up by a decree to run the

affairs of sports in Nigeria.

Council - Refers to a body constituted by the State govern­

ment to control and administer sports in the State.

Empire Day - A festival celebrated on May 24 of every year

throughout the then Commonwealth of Nations as

Victoria Day. In Nigeria, the festival was the

main event that served as avenue for the youths

to get together for sports before self-govern­ ment was obtained. 19

Ethnie Groups - Refers to a group of people who speak the

same language, share a common way of life and

believe that they are from the same ancestor.

European Clubs - These are clubs composed of mostly white

people in Nigeria.

Federal Government - The Federal Government is the only con­

stituted authority by election and

responsible for representing and conduct­

ing the affairs of the nineteen States

both within and outside the Country.

Football - Refers to assiciation football otherwise known as

soccer.

Foreign Sports - Refers to all physical activities that are

introducted to Nigeria by Europeans which

were not known by the natives before their

introduction.

Games - These are pasttime activities that are governed by

either temporary or permanent rules with participants

in direct opposition to each other and which are

characterized by winning or loosing.

Hockey - Refers to field hockey.

League - This refers to single elimination tournament.

Nation - Refers to a body of people united in a common cul­

ture, tradition, language and by a man-made politi­

cal boundaries. 20

Organization - A body of people responsible for the carrying

out of goals and objectives set down.

Sports - A well organized competivie activities which have

common characteristics.

States - Refer to the nineteen states in Nigeria.

Traditional Sports and Games - These are forms of physical

activities that are indigenous to the people of

Nigeria.

Abbreviations ;

AAAN - Amateur Athletic Association of Nigeria.

AFC - African Football Confederation.

A.G. - Action Group.

BCGF - British Common Wealth Games Federation.

FASU - Federation of Africian University Sports.

NCNC - National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons.

NOC - Nigeria Olympic Committee.

NPC - Northern People's Congress.

NSC - National Sports Commission.

NUGA - Nigeria University Games Association.

SCSA - Supreme Council for Sports in Africa.

WAUG - West Africa University Games. 21

CHAPTER I

FOOTNOTES

^Abiola Laguda, "Revolutionizing Sports in Nigeria," Nigeria Morning Post, (Lagos), October 9, 1972, p. 31

^Ibid, p. 31.

^"Nigeria Year Book for 1954," p. 128.

4 31st Nigeria Challenge Cup Final, "Soccer Memories Are Made of These," Souvenir Programme, Saturday, November 20, 1976, p. 14.

^Azikiwe, Nnamdi, Zik, A Selection from the speeches of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Cambridge University Press, 1961.

6 Eitzen, Stanley D ., and George H. Sage, Sociology of American Sport, Dubuque, Iowa, Wm C. Brown Co. Publishers, 1978, p. 30-45.

^Healey, John H ., and William A. Healey, Administrative Practices in Boys and Girls Interscholastic Athletics, Springfield, Illinois; Charles C. Thomas, 1976, p. 4.

^Ibid. p. 4.

^Frost, Reuben B ., and Marshall, Stanley J., Adminis­ tration of Physical Education and Athletics, Dubuque, Iowa, Wm. C. Brown Co., Publishers, 1978, pp. 1-2.

10 Kleinman, Seymour, A Study to Determine the Factors that Influence the Behavior of Sport Crowd, (Unpublished doctoral disseration), Ohio State University, 1960.

^^Bucher, Charles A., A Foundation of Physical Educa­ tion and Sport, (Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger, 1975). 22

12 Frost, Reuben B., and Marshall, Stanley J., Adminis­ tration of Physical Education and Athletics, Concepts and Practices, Dubuque, Iowa, Wm. C. Brown Co., Publishers, 1978,

13 Eitzen, Stanley D., Sport in Contemporary Society; An Anthology, New York, St. Martin's Press, 1979.

14 Sage, George H., and Eitzen, Stanley, Sociology of American Sports, Dubuque, Iowa, Wm. C. Brown Co., Publishers, 1978.

15 Talamum, John T. and Page, Charles H., Sport and Society; An Anthology, Boston-Toronto, Little Brown and Co., 1973.

16 Campbell, Ronal F ., et. al.. Introduction to Educa­ tional Administration, Boston, London, Sydney, Toronto, Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1978.

17 Bennet, Bruce L., et. al.. Comparative Physical Educa­ tion and Sport, (Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger, 1975).

18 McIntosh, P.O., Sport in Society, London: C.A. Watts and Company, Ltd., 1963.

19 Dalen, Deobold B ., and Bennet, Bruce L., A World History of Physical Education and Recreation, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1971.

20 Ogunbiyi, Daniel 0., "The Development of Nigeria's Participation in International Sport Competition and Its Effect on the Nation," (Unpublished doctoral disseration), Ohio State University, 1978. 23

21 Balridge, Victor, et. al.. Policy Making and Effec­ tive Leadership, San Francisco, Washington, London, 1978. CHAPTER II

THE COUNTRY OF NIGERIA

Technical surveys, anthropology, history, and political science books, all scholarly works, have much to say about the country of Nigeria. Changes have occurred in Nigeria within recent years. These changes manifest themselves in politics, economy, history, social, and cultures of the peo­ ple. Because of these changes, there is a need to discuss briefly, and for the purpose of understanding, the existing pattern of development, the physical environment, and the historical development. This chapter, therefore, aims at the provision of a solid background, to certain extent, for a better understanding of things that will be discussed in this survey. A few descriptions of the geographical situations in Nigeria will also provide a good background to understand­ ing of the subsequent materials provided in this work.

Nigeria's climate within over 913,072 square kilometers is described as a geographical phenomena which people should experience. There are hot, humid coastal mangrove forests and lagoons; high tropical forests; park-like grassland zones; and there is also a high dry, cool plateau area. There are two major rivers, the Niger and the Benue which divide the country into three geographical areas. These rivers have

24 25

numerous tributaries many of which create the large Niger

River Delta. Around this delta and along the coast line,

Nigeria obtains its petrolium and crude oil.

Position and Size;

Nigeria is in the western part of Africia along the west coast. It is situated above the equator and thus, it

occupies a position where the western parts of Africa meet

equatorial Africa. Nigeria stands between longitude 4“ and

14°, north of the equator. It covers a distance of over

1,040 kilometers from the coast to the north and from the western to the eastern borders is a distance of 1,120 kilome­

ters .

Nigeria is bordered on the east, by the Federal Repub­

lic of Cameroun, on the north, by the Niger Republic, and on

the west, by the Republic of Benin. The Atlantic ocean coast­ line which is over 800 kilometers borders the southern end of Nigeria. The coastline is known by different names such as the Gulf of Guinea, the Bight of Benin, the Bight of Bonny and the Bight of Biafra.^

Physical Features;

The southern border of Nigeria is full of sandy beaches

produced by the ocean. The costal zone is just above sea

level and it features islands, sandbanks, peninsulas,lagoons

and swamps. The lagoons, very calm, extend from the western

boarder to the great Niger Delta where they are broken into a

network of creeks and water ways that serve as means of 26 communication through the southern part of the country.

Close to the lagoons are baricades of mangrove trees which add to the beauty of the scenery. Beyond the mangrove trees can be found the tropic forest belt and the land gradually undulates towards the hinterland. The country is character­ ized by scattered or dotted hills in this area, the ground becomes more open and full of giant grasses with dotted trees.

The further you travel to the north, the more park-like areas you will see with some ranges of hills. Further in land still, it develops into an undulating plateau with some hilly granites and sandstone at a general elevation of 606 2 meters at the highest points. See Figure 1.

As one moves further into the northern part of the coun­ try, the great plateau becomes more prominent. It rises as a steep escarpment from the river bed plains of the rivers

Niger and Benue to an average height of 600 meters. The great plateau stretches between 80 to 120 kilometers north­ ward and it is covered by an evergreen forest. The State of

Plateau takes its name from this great hill. There are two main rivers in Nigeria called the Niger and the Benue. The

Niger river flows from the northwest to join the Benue at

Lokoja. The Benue flows from the eastern part of the coun­ try. Both rivers are navigable to certain degree and serve as means of communication to some extent in the country. The great plateau diminishes in height towards the north very gradually until you get closer to Lake Chad in the northeas­ tern part of Nigeria. I 11 f

Elevation in Feet C D Below 1,000 C 3 1,000-2,000 EBl Above 2,000

Figure 1 Fhyeicel Features of Algeria

N> 28

Nigeria has some outstanding mineral wealth among which are coal, tin, columbite, lead, gold, glass sands, zink, asbestos, iron ore, clay, and mabbles. The greatest source of Nigeria's economy lies in the crude oil found in the coun­ try. Nigeria is one of the leading oil producing countries in the world.

Climatic Features;

Nigeria enjoys a variety of climate during the year.

The climate varies from the coast to the interior. The type of climate along the coast line is a typical tropical climate but changes to a sub-tropical type as you move further inland. The difference in climate is caused by two air masses that are noticeable

at certain times of the yean The first air mass is called the northeast winds which blows across the Sahara Desert to

Nigeria from the months of October to February. The winds are hot, dry and dust laden. Around this period, the northern

part of Nigeria is usually hot and humid with the highest tem­

perature of (90°). The northern part of the country enjoys a

wet season of six months or less and the rainfall at this

period is less than 50 centimeters a year. The months of

November to February in the northern part of the country wit­

ness the "Harmattan." The harmattan is the cold, dry, and

dusty wind which blows across the country from the Sahara

Desert. The cold, but dry and enervating winds can be very

severe in the northern part of the country while its effect

is slightly felt in the south. 29

The second mass of air is called the southwest monsoon winds which blows over the Gulf of Guinea to Nigeria. The southwest monsoon winds are moisture laden and are cool.

These winds bring rain to Nigeria from the month of April to

October. See Figure 2. The rainfall in the southern part of the country is usually heavy with occasional thunder storms.

The average rainfall a year is 120 centimeters in the south.

The rainfall decreases as one travels northward with the exception of the windward slopes of the great plateau. See

Figure 3.

Temperature throughout the country is comparatively high all the year round with the mean maximum increasing north­ wards from the costal area. The mean annual maximum recorded over a period of years at different points in the southern

Nigeria showed a range of 86*F-88*F. The mean annual tem­ perature is 82*F. In the south, the highest temperatures occur in February and March during the dry season while in the north, the highest temperatures occur between March and 3 May. This is probably the reason why sports participation is not encouraged in the afternoons between the hours of 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. throughout the year. More so that most of the sports facilities available in Nigeria are outdoor. See

Figure 4.

In the Middle belt of Nigeria the temperature ranges between 75*F-85°F. Around this area, rainfall is between 50

to 70 centimeters a year. This area of the country is the

coolest part with a mean temperature of from 70°F-75*F. LOW f*E&5WKE TAN / / / / / / / /

X a m u a RT WWW WWW

Source! W. A. Pecklngs and J. H. Stembrldge, Nigeria, pp. 3 and 46.

Figure 2 Nigeria, Pressure and Winds; (a) January, (b) July

w o Rjtiifia

•Zaria T^Kajma •BauchI . •. KJr<;cii'ao‘. • .*•*?•

Ha***. ' /ivcAai «» 2tf >J0 Makwf* #* a# / a#A*eo«* %a,///// L*A*f /////y///////// #0 M mi&*ka t0*i9 MW #* a# jw ff Ora^fai Wet Season, May to October Dry Season, November to April

Source: W. A. Pecklngs and J. H. Stembrldge, Nigeria, pp. 40-41.

Figure 3 Rainfall Maps of Nigeria

(jj 32

NORTH-SUDAN MIDDLE BELT SOKOTO V LOKOJA In. 1 60 1 IS ISO 1 IS 140 14- 130 13 120 I 12 110 1 It 100 ! to 9 0 -1—1— 9 8 0 -gU- a 7 0 7 6 0 6 SO '■wMm 5 4 0 V 4- 3 0 3 20 2 to À r / AMJJASOND J FMAMJ J ASONO

COASTAL PLAIN COAST °F BENIN tn. PORT HARCOURT 160r 16 tso- IS 140- 14 130- 13 120- tz 1 no ■ 11 WO- 1 0 ^ i 9 0 - 9 % 80 8 70 7 60 ■ 6 50^ 5 40 ■ 30 ■ 20 to FMAMJJASOND J FMAMJ JASONO

Source: W.A. Packings and J.H- Stembrldge, Nigeria. p. 45,

Fig. 4 — Nigeria: Climatic Types 33

As we now see, the year could be broadly divided into two main seasons in Nigeria. The dry season when there is no rainfall in most parts of the country. At this period, dry winds blow from the northeast of the Sahara Desert across

Nigeria. This period is mainly used for harvesting the crops and clearing the land for agricultural purposes. It is also associated with many havest festivals when many traditional games and sports are being held. The wet or rainy season is the period when heavy rainsfalls occur all over the country, but is heavier in the southern part of the country. This is a busy period for the farmers when they are engaged in plant­ ing of crops.

The implication of the seasons to sports is that sports are adapted to the seasons of the year. During the rainy season, when the ground is soft, the weather is cool, people are engaged in sports such as football (soccer), netball and field hockey. In the dry season, when the ground is dry and the weather is hot, sports like tennis, cricket, basketball, and field and track events are prevalent. Nowadays, when some gymnasiuns are being build, sports like volleyball and basketball are played all the year round. However, these indoor facilities are few in number.

Ecological Factors;

In Nigeria, there are various environments which dic­ tate the activities of the people. . Such environment like the fauna, flora, and waters are great factors that determines 34 the works and activities of the various ethnic groups.

Nigerians develop and function under this setting. The veg­ etation of Nigeria varies from area to area. If you enter

Nigeria from Lagos in the south and move towards the north, you will go through different vegetations ranging from man­ grove forests to the Sudan savannah which enters and blends into the Sahara Desert. Nigeria is an agrarian country and the people cultivate diversity of crops at different belts.

The crops grown are tubers which are peculiar to the south and various granins which are maily found in the north on the park-like areas. In the south where we have thick forest, cash crops such as cocoa, palm-trees, coffee,and rub­ bers are planted while in the north cotton, rice, and ground nuts (peanuts) are grown as cash crops. Nigerians are already used to their natural environment consisting the rivers, lakes, forests, insects, birds, animals, and reptiles. Most of these animals, birds, and reptiles are now kept in zoos.

Animals such as the cats and the dogs are pets commonly found at home.

Nigeria is made up of many ethnic groups but they all live together and happily too (see Figure 5). Though, lang­ uage is a barrier but this has not been allowed to cause any disunity. Three main languages are spoken in Nigeria— Hausa,

Ibo, and Yoruba. The Federal Government of Nigeria is making effort to put an end to any barrier language might cause among the ethnic groups. The order of the day is that you

should aspire to speak a Nigerian language other than yours. N O R T H tyer stAson e u o n t h s o hi t s s OHK SfA SO N e MONTHS OH MOHl

IDOL BELT w c r srAsoN 7 m o n t h s OMrS^SCASON S MONTHS

s o U T H y/iT scAsoN a MONTHS OH MOae Hr StASOh4 MONTHS O ISO less

Figure 5. Maps of Nigeria Showing the Major Ethnic Groups and Regional Belts.

w ui 36

For example, a Yoruba man should aspire to speak either

Hausa or Ibo and vise vasa. The English language, however, is now being used as the official national language since it

is the medium of expression in all Nigerian schools.

The different environments of the various ethnic groups

in Nigeria have an important factor on the social engagements of the people. Education is improving in the country today.

There is a free primary education all over the country while

education is free up to the secondary shcool level in Lagos,

Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, and Bendel States of Nigeria. There are

nineteen states and thirteen universitites. Traditional

sports and games which were being played before the advent of

the white people have been modified and refined.

HISTORICAL FACTORS

The Pre-Colonial Period;

At this period, there was not outside power governing

the country of Nigeria. The few European traders who visited

the country made trips inside Nigeria for their trade pur­

poses. The people who live around this territory did not call

this area "Nigeria." They engaged themselves in activities

like wrestling, dancing, hunting, fishing, and swimming.

They were noted for taking part in series of festivals such

as harvests, funerals, marriages, naming ceremonies, and reli­

gion. These festival were held in honor of their gods

for the provision of good things they needed. They believed 37

that these gods helped them to have good crops and that the gods drove away from them evil spirits, caused rain, and

cured their illness.

The type of festivals held by Nigerians varies from area

to area. In the south, the following festivals are very

important and they are still held up till today:

Edi Festival:

This is a one week annual celebration which dates back to

several decades. It is in rememberance of an Ife heroin

called Moremi. Special features of this festival include a

traditional touchlight procession from the Oni's palace to

Moremi's grave, offering of sacrifices to appease past Ife

heroines and Oni's and general feasting. Various forms of

dances were performed during this week-long festival which is

observed in October.

Agemo Festival:

Blessings given by Agemo priest are believed to prolong

the life span of those blessed. On this celebration Agemo

priest blesses the Orimolusi, (Oba of Ijebu-Igbo). This is

the only occasion during which the Orimolusi is compelled

traditionally to dance. Nine days are usually set aside for

worshipping, sacarificing, and traditional dancing. This

festival is climaxed by the assembly of hunters on the lya-

mapo Hill to hunt game. This festival comes up in April. 38

Sango Festival;

Sango is the Yoruba god of thunder and lightning. During the thirty days of celebrations, sacrifices are offered to the god. There is dancing, singing, drumming and other enter­ tainment in various places, throughout Oyo, Ogun, and Ondo

States. The festival is usually held during the month of June.

Iwu Festival;

Iwu Festival, which is held in September, is an annual festival celebrated with pomp and pageantry by the Ibusa peo­ ple. The festival extends through a period of four days beginning with a day when the chief celebrant (Eze-Iwu) and

the "Enem" enter the sanctuary of the goddess in Iwu. The

"Enem" people are men between the age of 36-60 who preserve

themselves against the tempation of sexual dealings with women

(other than their own wives). Each of the four days of actual

celebration is marked by various activities. On the last day

of celebration in Ibusa, the chief celebrants, Eze-Iwu,

returns to Eddo to bathe as a mark of purification and rede­

dication to the service of the goddess of Edolo. Edolo is a

streamlet by the side of Oboshi River with a source of its

own.

Offalo Festival;

This festival comes up in the month of January when the

farmers have less work to do on the farm. It is an expensive 39 festival which lasts for about four days. During this fes­ tival, the 'red cap' chiefs pay homage to their king. Mas­ querades from different towns are given special invitation to perform.

Igue Festival;

This annual festival which is said to date back to about the 15th century lasts for seven days with daily performances, the most exciting ones being Iron, Igucaba Emobo, Ugie-ewere, and Ugie Erhoba. During this colorful festival which is the most important yearly event in Benin, offerings, appeasement and propitiations are made to the spirits of the Oba's ances­ tors to thank them for their protection during the old year and to count their blessings for the future. Special attrac­ tions are the Oba in full regalia doing the traditional dances, his queen in ancient Bini costume, the mock battle of the chiefs, the chiefs dancing in procession to the Oba's palace to reaffirm their loyalty to him. The festival takes place in December.

The cultures are very similary both in the north and the south. While the southerners are engaged in these festivals, the northerners are also seen performing different traditional and cultural events. Such festivals are:

Pategi Regatta

This is a colorful biennial river festival on River

Niger with canoe races, decorated boats, swimming races. 40

drumming and feasting. The festival comes up between the months of February and March.

Share or Shadi Festival;

A dramatic and endurance display performed in a circle

amidst much music and cheers. It is a Fulani tradition, the

oldest and most popular tradition among the Fulanis. The

ceremony usually takes place after harvest in the month of

November— the beginning of the harmattan season. The con­

testants who are usually unmarried men come to a center ring

escorted by beautiful girls amidst thunderous cheers and

drumming. The contestants are dressed "topless." After

some time, a challenger among the contestants comes out

brandishing his whip dressed more or less in the same atire

as his opponent. He does his best to frighten his opponent.

After much drumming, songs, cheers, self-praises from both

competitors and challengers comes the time for flogging.

The first challenger raises his whip and flogs his opponent

once. The victim is not expected to wince or show any sign

of pain. If he does, this is regarded as a sign of cowardice.

Gwana Wrestling Festival;

Thousands of people get together annually in Dikwa for

wrestling tournament. It is an exciting event in which most

able-bodied young men take part. Young men from all over

Dikwa and neighboring districts of the North-Eastern states

take part in it. It is usually observed in the month of 41

November.

Ekwuechi Festival;

This festival is held in remembrance of the dead. On this occasion, it is believed that the dead Igbirra sons are back to earth to chat with the living and as such it is done

in the night. On this night there is great feasting consist­

ing of various dishes with burukutu and pitto, both locally brewed drinks. Masquerades come out to play, dance, and sing to the public. Women are usually barred from watching the performances while it is open to vistors. It lasts for only

a night and is highly esteemed by all the Igbirras. The fes­ tival is celebrated in the month of December.

Argungu Fishing Festival;

Some 64 miles from Sokoto is the riverside town of

Argungu, where an annual Fishing Festival takes place in Feb­

ruary of each year.

Every man and boy in the area armed with a large fish

net scoop, enters the water and, to the accompaniments of

canoes filled with drummers and rattling, the huge gourds

filled with seeds, drive the fish into shallow waters. Many

and strange are the piscatorial specimens caught in the drive,

ranging from giant Nile Perch to the peculiar balloon fish

which blew themselves up into a huge ball when cornered.

Spectacular among the events are a display of bare hand fishing, wild duck hunting, swimming and diving competitions. 42 and canoe raising. After the day's exercises there is drinking, drumming, and dancing into the night.

From these various festivals, it is certain that the people of Nigeria have so many things in common though the name Nigeria did not exist until the advent of the Europeans.

The name "Nigeria" comes from the word "Niger" meaning great river. "Nigeria" therefore means "land of the mighty river or the country of the great waters." Truly, the river Niger

flows from the north-west of the country right through the center and down to the south before emptying its water into the Atlantic Ocean. It is therefore justified to name the

country of Nigeria after the great river, the 'Niger' which

is the biggest river in West Africa. This same river Niger had been a source of attraction to the white people who

tried to explore the source and end of it. Some of the

early explorers were Mungo Park, a young Scotish doctor who

left Britain in 1795 to explore the great river, Clappaton

and the two brothers, John Lander and Richard Lander.

Before the arrival of the white men in the country,

Nigerian epople had been living in towns, villages, and ham­

lets and there were kingdoms all over the country. Documen­

tary sources and archaeological evidences revealed the evo­

lution of various dynamic interacting kingdoms several hun­

dred years before the arrival of Arabs and Europeans in

Nigeria. Historical background evolves from numerous histories of large number of ethnic groups that populate the country. 43

It is possible to trace the emergence of the various north­ ern and southern ethnic clusters on the basis of their inter­ action within each other and with more distant peoples. The people in the north were culturally and economically tied to

Islamic centers of north Africa by a complex series of trade routes several hundred years before the arrival of the Euro­ peans. In the south before the half of the nineteenth cen­ tury, there existed strong forest kingdoms, which had once 4 been the most powerful of the states of the Guinea Coast.

The Advent of the British People;

The first set of Christian missionaries came to Nigeria from Britain about 1842 and they settled in Bodagry, Calabar,

Abeokuta and Lagos environments, and gradually they extended their influences further into the hinterland within the southern provinces.^ The missionaries represented the protestant church of Britain and they came with the intent of converting the natives into the Christian religion. In order to carry out their assignment, they needed the help of the natives who at this time did not speak the English language. The missionaries therefore taught the natives how to speak their language so that they could help in translating their gospel to the people of Nigeria. This idea developed into what was known as the Christain School. In this period, schools were held at the churchyards.

Around 1885, European traders were beginning to troup into the country and were trading freely with the natives. 44

The British people were now more interested in the country than ever before and they were now gaining ground throu^ the help of the various traders, missionaries, Obas, and Chiefs.

Already, the Royal Niger Company, a British Firm, had estab­ lished itself in the country. The major concern of the Royal

Niger Company (R.N.C.) was purely commercial but the company was also engaged in some administrative duties. Later on, the Royal Niger Company transferred its non-commercial respon­ sibilities to the British Government. This gave room for the extension of the British interest and influence into the heart of Nigeria. Nigeria was now being ruled under the Bri­ tish protectorate. There were now three separate protector­ ates— the Northern Nigeria Protectorate, the Southern Nigeria

Protectorate and the Colony of Lagos. Amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates was done in 1906 under

Sir Lord Lugard. The British Government took over complete political administration of the country in 1914 and united the southern protectorate with the north. Thus, Nigeria was governed by the British Government from 1914 to October, 1960 when Nigeria earned her independence.

In its own right, 1930-50 was an historic era. It was marked by a world-wide depression between 1929 and 1935, the

Second World War between 1939 and 1945, and the Nigerian nationalist movement which spanned the entire period 1930-

50 and which eventually led to self-government between 1952 and 1959 and to independence in 1960. It was also during this period that the various Nigerianisation 45 schemes (1930s, 1948, 1952, and 1960) were launched.®

Now, education started to expand rapidly. This period witnessed intensive competition for higher education by diverse groups and individuals particularly in the south.

Nelson described early Nigerian education thus:

....In the period between the two World Wars public interest in education was heightened in the south by a gradually developing intellectual elite and by a growing national consciousness. Kingship and ethnic unions which sprang up in the main urban centers played a dynamic role in the improvement of education...Small local unions built a few pri­ mary schools, large federal unions financed the construction of secondary schools and sent pro­ mising young men abroad for higher education. A substantial number of educated members of the elite were supported through all or part of their university training by their local unions.?

Sports at this period were not prominent. The mission­

aries as well as the British traders and Officials of Nigeria

engaged themselves in playing games like soccer, tennis,

cricket and table-tennis. People of Nigeria who attended

schools during this period had the opportunity to watch the white men playing the games and later immitated them. More­

over, some basic skills in physical education were taught in

the schools. After sometime, football (soccer) became very

appealing to, and popular among the young boys. Any open

space such as church yards, park-like areas, motor roads,

and backyards were turned unto fields of play. Young boys

could be seen in groups in these open spaces playing foot­

ball. In schools missionary teachers organized inter-class

football competitions, and track and field too. The inter­

class competitions soon generated into interhouse soccer and 46

athletic competitions. It was a common thing to see a

school being divided into four Houses, each House named

after an outstanding missionary teacher or pastor. Apart

from sports, physical training was also taught in the ele­ mentary schools where pupils were subjected to rigorous and

vigorous activities. The exercises performed were regimen­

tal and they must be responded to in unism. The teacher

stood in front of the class like a commanding officer to give

his commands which must be obeyed and performed with prec-

sion. A mistake committed by any of the pupils led to a

thorough whipping by the teacher. School children took part

in physical training with fear rather than interest.

The last few years towad indepencence marked the beginn­

ing of Nigeria's awareness in competitive sports. More

schools, both elementary and secondary. Teachers' Colleges

and Advanced Teachers' Colleges, Technical Schools, Trade

Centers, and Universities sprang up. This gave opportunity

for more people to take part in sports and physical educa­

tion. Physical education became compulsory in the elemen­

tary schools and Teachers' Colleges. In the Teachers' Col­

leges students must pass physical education to qualify for

the Teachers' certificate. Soccer players were now taught

the scientific ways of playing the game. Coaching of athle­

tes was given prominence in all the existing sports such as

track and field,soccer, table-tennis, boxing, tennis, field

hockey, swimming, volleyball, and basketball. There were

now inter-school, inter-collegiate and inter-club carpetitions 47 in all games mentioned above. Many sports associations were formed in big cities and towns all over the country. Nigeria as a nation now competed in many international competitions such as the British Commonwealth and the Olympic Games. It was the 'golden age' of sports in Nigeria.

The Period of Independence;

The first day of October, 1960 was a remarkable day for

Nigeria when she earned her independence from the British

Government. Nigeria got her independence from the British through constitutional means. It was a gradual transfer of political power from the British to the Nigerians. There was no bloodhsed and it was a happy occasion. To start with,

Nigeria was first granted self-government status in which the three regions— north, east, and west became autonomous. Each region was now ruled by a politically constituted assembly through election. Political parties were formed and each political leader became the premier of the region where that party was predominant. These political parties then were

the Northern People's Congress (N.P.C.) headed by the late

Sardauna of Sokoto, the National Council of Nigeria and the

Cameroons (N.C.N.C.) led by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, and the

Action Group (A.G.) headed by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. These

three major political parties, the N.P.C., the N.C.N.C. and

the A.G. played a major role in Nigeria until 1966 when the

Army took over the government of the country.

The year 1960 was very significant in the history of 48

sports in the then Western State of Nigeria in particular

and Nigeria in general. The Government of Western Nigeria took a step further in its determination to encourage sport­

ing activities in the Region when the half-a million-pound

(about a million dollars) Olympics-Standard Liberty Stadium

at Ibadan was opened as one of the ceremonies marking Niger­

ia's Independence.

The opening of the stadium coincided with the popular

demand for greater encouragement for sporting organizations

following the poor performances by the team sent to tiie Olym­

pic Games in Rome a few months earlier. Liberty Stadium is

designed in the shape of an ellipse, and planned to give the

best conditions for both athletics and football. It is situ­

ated near the top of the hillside facing West. The line of

the North-South axis runs 17 degrees West of South, so that,

generally, the sun will not be in the eyes of players and

athletes, and the prevailing breeze will blow through 8 the arena and along the side stands.

The covered stand on the west side provides for 3,000

seats which will be in shade during afternoon meetings. A

further 1,000 uncovered seats in front of the covered accom­

modation, together with 4,600 seats in the east stand bring

the seating capacity to 8,600. The semi-circular ends each

provide standing room for 11,500. Officially the Liberty

Stadium has a capacity of 31,6000 spectators.

The eastern half of the stadium has been excavated out

of the hillside, and access is therefore at high level. The 49 covered stand and the western part of the standing accommo­ dation have low-level access by passages tunelled through the building and one of these at each end enables processions to pass through the stadium from end to end.

Under the covered stand are the main entrances for Very

Important Personalities (V.I.P,'s), athletes, players, and officials. Public access to the covered seats is by stair­ cases leading up to a broad gallery commanding a fine view, from which the seats can be reached by a short flight of steps. Facilities include changing rooms and showers for

200 male and female competitors, committee rooms and offices, a traning room, a cafeteria to seat 100, and extensive stor­ age space for equipment.

A tunnel leads out under the track, so that footballers and athletes taking part in field events can emerge directly into the central arena. The outlet of the tunnel, when covered, is fully protected to avert any possible danger to a footballer who might fall on it.

Boxes housed within the depth of the cantilever roof to the covered seating provide accommodation for photo-fin­ ish équipement, radio commentators and the controllers of the public address system. Special consideration has been given to Press and Television, with a Press box over the east stand which incorporates a giant results indicator board. Flood-lighting is to the highest inter-national standards. 50

The running track has a circuite length of 400 meters, with a straight length of 140 meters for the running of 100 meters, and 110 meters hurdle races. The width allows for seven lanes, so that heats of six may be run, leaving the seventh inside lane mainly for runners in half mile and longer races. There is a water jump adjoining the track at the north end for the steeplechase. The track surface is made of all weather synthetic materials.

A special feature of the track is the under-drainage which has been designed to disperse the heaviest tropical rainstorms without any flooding of the running surface. This is accomplished by a series of herring-bone drains under the arena made of specially-manufactured porous concrete pipes set in washed and graded gravels leading in turn to concrete ring drains, thence to two main outfalls of 30 in. pipes.^

The football pitch is 110 meters by 70 meters and the semi-circular areas at either end provide for high jump; long jump; hop, step and jump; pole vault; throwing the javelin; discus; hammer; and putting the shot. Outside the stadium itself and within the site, there are one standard Olympic size swimming pools, tennis courts, cricket pitches, volley­ ball courts, basketball courts, a large sports hall for indoor games, and a hall for squash racket. There is an open soccer pitch with a 400 meter char-coal track for training. Car parking facilities have been provided in two separate areas to accommodate a total of 2,000 cars. Space under the stand­ ing areas provides covered parking for 1,500 bicycles. 51

There is a big hostel for sports men and women and offi­ cials which can accommodate about 100 athletes. The Stadium was designed by J.E.K. Harrison and Partners, Consultant

Architects, in collaboration with the Nigeria's Ministry Of

Works and Transport, Works and Buildings Division. The whole of the construction was carried out by direct labor by the

Ministry of Works and Transport, Ibadan Area.

Many national and international sports engagements have taken place in this stadium. On many occasions the stadium has taken more than its capacity of spectators. A good refer­ ence was when the Bendel State football team and the Plateau

State football team were ordered by the National Football

Association (N.F.A.) to replay the Challenge Cup finals in

1976 at the Liberty Stadium. The record crowd was 35,000.

On that day, many spectators from the standing end of the

stadium fainted. The stadium has been modified to take up to

45,000 spectators.

The building of the Liberty Stadium was a blessing to

the Western States— Ogun, Ondo, and Oyo— in particular and to

the country in general. It was a period of great awareness

for sports all over the West. Each athlete's ambition was to

get to Liberty Stadium to run. It was the belief of the peo­

ple that only good and outstanding athletes were allowed in

such a magnificient stadium. This gave the local athletes

incentive to train hard so that they might either play foot­

ball or run at the Liberty Stadium. More-over, the adminis­

tration of sports took a new turn. Sports administrators. 52 organizers, and coaches now had offices where they could work efficiently. It was also a period when more job opportuni­ ties were available to many who were interested in sports.

Positions such as Sports Secretary, Organizing Secretary,

Coach and Stadium Manager were created. Secondary school stu­ dents became more interested in school competitions than before. They realized that if their school qualified for the final in either football or track and field, they would go to

Liberty Stadium.

First Republic;

There was peace all over the country during the early part of Nigerian independence. This peace was marred by the political upheaval that arose. There was a dark period in the country and everybody, including government officials, were afraid. Things were done with fear and suspecion. This period was a time of human suffering, fear, injustice, nepot­ ism, victimazation and exploitation. The majority of Niger­ ians were depressed and many left the country to save their lives. On January 15, 1966, the First Republic of Nigeria

fell as a result of a coup d'etat staged by the Nigerian Army.

In this coup d'etat, most of the political leaders including

Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the then Prime Minister of Niger,

Chief S.L. Akintola, the Premier of Western Region, Alhaji

Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of Northern Region and Chief, Oko-

tieboh, the Federal Minister of Finance were killed. The Army

take-over of the government was welcome by every honest 53

Nigerian because most people were frustrated by what was going on before the coup d'etat. On the day of the incident, many people jumped for joy and started singing songs of freedom from bondage.

In this period of unrest in the country, sports was also affected. Sportsmen and women and all those connected with the administration of sports were disgusted and discouraged by the situation. Parents were reluctant to release their child­ ren for any sporting activities because they were afraid of what might happen. There was little or no international sports engagements for the country. Neighboring countries who knew what was going on refused to let any of their sport teams

come to Nigeria to compete. It was a set back for sport in

Nigeria.

Admitedly, Nigeria was barely six years old as an inde­

pendent nation when military took over the government from the

civilians, but no retrospective glance to show that sports

enjoyed sufficient patronage at national or institutional

level before the fateful take over. Sports at this period was

purely a recreational affair particularly football, lawn tennis

and a few other sports which had the backing of private com­

mercial enterpreneurs or clubs. There was then a need among

Nigerians for a virile national football team to represent

Nigeria in international competitions especially against the

humiliating defeat of Ghana's famous "Black Star."

The Nigerian Civil War which occurred between 1967 and

1970 retarded a little the development of sports in Nigeria. 54

When the army first took over the government of Nigeria in

January, 1966, some members of the army, particularly those from the north, felt that the coup was one sided. This was because all the political leaders from the North, West, and

Midwest were killed while none of the political leaders from the East was killed. This notion caused the second coup in

July, 1966 in which the then Head of State, Major-General

John Aguiyi-Ironsi was killed with Lt.-Colonel Adekunke

Fajuyi (the then Governor of Western Region). Consequently,

Lt.-Colonel Yakubu Gowon from the North was made the head of

State. The Eastern Nigerian saw this as a hatered of their people particularly that Major-General Ironsi was from the

East. Lt.-Colonel Emeka Ojukwu, the then Military Governor of the Eastern Region (Biafra's Head of State) was greatly opposed to the killing of the then Head of State and making

Lt.-Colonel Gowon as the Head of State. For instrance,

Ojukwu was quoted to have said that he made it absolutely plain that he would not accept Gowon's elevation to the post of Supreme Commander, that his own position was a strictly

legitimist one, recognizing Ironsi, if he were still alive,

and Ogundipe, as the next most senior officer, if he were not,

and finally, that the present arrangement was temporary and

merely designed to secure a breathing space.

Series of unsuccessful meetings were held in Kampala,

Niger Republic and Aburi, Ghana to make peace. In October,

1966, Ojukwu ordered the expulsion of all non-Easterns from

the Region on the grounds that he could no longer assure their 55 safety. Many people thought he was making way for secession, and that he did not want non-Ibos around to see what was going on. He called on the East to remain vigilant and be ready to defend itself saying there will be no compromise. The

British High Commissioner in Lagos, Sir David Hunt, went to

Enugu to warn Ojukwu of the international consequences of secession, especially in terms of the unlikelihood of being recognized by Commonwealth African Countries.

On May 26, Ojukwu convened the Eastern Consultative

Assembly where he confirmed that the East was fully prepared to defend itself. Part of Ojukwu's marathon address on that day read thus:

"....There is no power in this country or in Black Africa to subdue us by force— and gave the Assem­ bly three loaded alternative to choose from: a) accepting the terms of the North and Gowon and thereby submit to domination by the North, or b) continuing the present stalemate and drift, or c) ensuring the survival of our people by assert­ ing our autonomy...."12

The Assembly took the hint and gave Ojukwu the mandate to declare the sovereign Republic of Biafra at an early practic­

able date. Gowon on the other hand declared a state of emer­

gency in the country and divided the country into twelve new

States, abolishing once and for all the old Regions. The

North was carved into six new states, the East into three

(only one, the landlocked East-Central State, for the Ibos),

the Mid-West (now Bendel) stayed as it was and the West lost a

slice of its southern section to join with the Federal capital

to form Lagos State. This was the straw that broke the camel's 56 back for the East. As soon as this was done, Ojukwu announced the secession very early in the morning of May 30, 1967.

On July 6, 1967 after the 'police action' used by Gowon to stop secession has failed, SHOTS RANG OUT ALONG A DUSTY

ROAD IN EASTERN NIGERIA. The Nigerian Civil War had begun.

The war lasted two and a half years, and cost nearly a million lives and plunged Afica into unparallel disarray.

Within the period of the Nigerian Civil War, sports was virtually paralyzed particularly in the Eastern States which served as the battle field. The Commonwealth Games was affected because Nigeria could not take part in the games.

There were no international competitions because the war was going on. The government faced the war squarly so as to keep

Nigeria one. The only sports going on were in the Western and

Northern States. Bur then, it was on a small scale. Equip­ ments were not available in the country because the Military

Government imposed embergo on imported goods. Such was the

state of things in general and sports in particular during the

Civil War.

The Second Republic;

The Second Republic started when the Nigerian Armed

Forces formally took over the government of Nigeria from the

civilians on January 16, 1966. The Army ruled Nigeria from

January, 1966 to September 30, 1979. The Military Government,

in fulfilment of its promise to release the government to the

civilians in 1979, called for formation of political parties 57 by the civilians. The Military Government in its attempt to crush ethnicism and bitterness in politics gave some guide­ lines for the formation of parties. One of these was that any such party formed must be national in outlook and that it must have supporters in all the nineteen states in the country.

Over forty-five political parties were formed when the Mili­ tary Government called for formation of political parties. Of the forty-five political parties so formed, only five of them were registered, having met the requirements set down by the

Military Government. The five political parties registered were ;

(i) The National Party of Nigeria (N.P.N.) led by Alhaji Shehu Shagari, the present Predident of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

(ii) The Unity Party of Nigeria (U.P.N.) headed by Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

(iii) The Nigerian People's Party (N.P.P.) led by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe

(iv) The Great Nigerian People's Party (G.N.P.P.) headed by Alhaji Ibrahim Waziri.

(v) The People's Republican Party (P.R.P.) headed by Alhaji Aminu Kano.

Nigeria's twelve years of military rule will long be

remembered for the gaint stride it took to give the country

status on the internationals scene. In making an appraisal of

the period the army ruled Nigeria, Daniel Mukuro has this to

say:

"...Various sports centers throughout the country experienced rapid development and sooner or later the military and civilian population found a com­ mon basis for fratemization in sports. Army sport- men were sometimes red-eyed, notably the one time 58

Tigers Football Club of 9 Brigade Benin in the face of defeat, but they eventually grew to embrace healthy competition as the best sportsmanship. ^

With the military regime in Nigeria came the gospel of active participation in sports. Everybody was once again alive to sports because the government itself believed in sports participation as means of unifying the country and pro­ moting friendliness which Nigeria lost during the first repub­ lic. Both the army and civilian teams interacted well in the field of play. The need for active participation became more acute with the creation of more states and the encouragement of inter-state sports competitions. No sooner were the states created than the sports councils were established in the states.

To crown the aspirations of Nigerians for a virile national sports body, the Federal Military Government in 1971 enacted

Decree 34 which established the National Sports Commission

(N.S.C.). In the same year, the Bendel State Government

started the Ogbe Hard Court Tennis Championships which has now gained world-wide fame. This period also marked the beginning

of State Sports Festivals that eventually generated into the

first ever National Sports Festival in Lagos in 1973. In the

same year, the Second All-Africa Games was hosted by Nigeria

at the prestigeous National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

The sports renaissance in the military era spread fast

to most government institutions and soon gained approval at

national level. Other less popular sports grew to receive

general acceptance and became entrenched at state and national 59 levels for the purpose of competition. Today, it is not uncommon for Nigerians to hear and talk of Kaduna Clay Court championships, Ogun Green Courts, Ogbe Hard Courts, National

School Sports and All Nigerian Secondary School Sports.

The Third Republic;

The Third Republic began on October 1, 1979 when the

Nigerian Armed Forces formally handed over the government of the country to the civilians. Between the months of July and

August, 1979, elections were held in Nigeria to the Senatorial

House, Federal House of Representatives, State Houses of Assem­ bly, Gubernatorial elections and the Presidential election.

The Federal Electoral Commission declared Alhaji Shehu

Shagari the winner of the last August presidential election in

Nigeria. A presidential candidate for the National Party of

Nigeria (N.P.N.), Shehu Shagari polled the highest number of votes cast in the election. The Commission said that after

carrying out its duties and formalities as required by the

Electoral Decree 1977, the result of the poll carried out in

Federation on August 11, 1979 showed the following number of

votes each candidate received:

Alhaji Shehu Shagari (N.P.N.) 5,688,857

Chief Obafemi Awolowo (U.P.N.) 4,976,651

Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (N.P.P.) 2,822,523

Alhaji Aminu Kano (P.R.P.) 1,732,113

Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim (G.NP.P.) 1,686,489. 60

The investigator felt that it is too early to comment on the new government's activities and philosophy on sports. He hoped, however, that the civilian government would follow the footsteps of the military government in sports and that it would aim at bettering the record set by its predecessor. 61

CHAPTER II

FOOTNOTES

1 Federal Ministry of Information, "Geography” Nigeria (Lagos, Nigeria: Nigerian National Press, Ltd., 1976).

2 Nigeria Handbook 1973, (Lagos, Federal Ministry of Information, Academy Press, Ltd., 1973), p. 9.

3 Harold D. Nelson et. al.. Area Handbook for Nigeria, (Washington: United States Government Printine Office, 1972), p. 22.

4 Ibid., p. 48-50.

5 Okechukwu Ikejiani: Nigeria Education, Forward by His Excellency Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, (Lagos: Longman Nigeria Ltd. 1971), p. 43.

6 Fafunwa, Babs A., History of Education in Nigeria, Lon­ don, George Allen of Unwin Ltd., 1974, p. 128.

7 Harold D. Nelson, op. cit., p. 177-178.

8 Newham, G.E., "Sports Reveiw," Nigeria Year Book, 1962, p. 246.

9 Ibid.

10 St. Jorre, John De., The Nigerian Civil War, London, Sydney Auckland Toronto, 1972, p. 75.

11 Ibid., p. 102.

12 Ibid. 62

13 Mukuro, Daniel, Nigerian Sunday Observer, October 1, 1978, p. 31.

14 Nigeria, News from Information Division Nigerian Con­ sulate-General, New York, N.Y., 10022, July/September, 1979, Vol. IV, p. 1. CHAPTER III

THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SPORTS

Before the advent of the British into Nigeria, there were many traditional sports being played by the people. In playing the sports, there were no written rules but rules con­ cerning cheating, procedure and winning were set and were repeated each time there was a competition. There were many recreational games such as wrestling, local fencing, gymnas­ tics, and Ayo. Other sports were swimming , hunting, fishing, canoeing and boxing. Competitions were held in all these sports particularly during the harvest season when the farmers had less work to do. Practices were held after each day's work on the farm. A day was always set aside for the compe­ tition in which the head of the community's large compound was used as the arena. All competitions were usually accom­ panied by music, drumming, and dancing in praise of the compe­

titors. Winners were acknowledged, praised and awarded titles while the losers were encouraged to train harder for future

contests.

Ayo is an ancient Nigerian game. It is an exciting stra­

tegy game that has been played for thousands of years in Africa

The aim of the game is to capture the most seeds from the

opponent's dishes. The Ayo board consists of twelve dishes

63 64 and two storage dishes. In playing the game, place the board between you and your opponent so that each of you has six small dishes in front of you, and a storage dish to your right.

Place four seeds into each of the dishes except the storage dishes. Choose a player to play first. The player then picks up all the seedsin any one of his six dishes and sows them, one at a time into each adjacent dish in an anticlock­ wise direction. Your opponent moves in the same manner and play continues alternately. To play Ayo well, pay close attention to how many seeds are in each of your opponent's dishes. Also, be aware at all times of which of your own dishes are threatened.

When the British first got to Nigeria, they played modern games because they were already used to it before they left Britain. Games played then were tennis, soccer and cric­ ket. Nigerians who attended schools at this period were used as "ball boys" to pick up stray balls. These Nigerians, out of curiosity, tried to imitate the white men at play and gradually picked up interest. The British, on the other hand, made deliberate efforts to transplant their norms and mores

into the Nigerians. To do this successfully, sport was one of the instruments used. What transpired was that the mis­

sionaries, the British army, and the traders characterized

sport with the homeland philosophy and tradition. The con­

cept of introducing Western sports competition into Nigeria was therefore very deliberate because sport was not intro­

duced to cope with the pressing need of the people.^ Though, 65 sport was introduced to the few Nigerians going to school, such sport was not at all organized. Taking part in sport was very individual and impromptu, in nature.

Organized sports was not introduced to the country until shortly after World War II, which ended in 1945. The forum used for the introduction of sport was the school. Physical educaton was introduced into the curriculum of the elementary schools and it was then very compulsory. The first subject in the morning, after religion, was physical education which was the beginning of organized sport in the country for activities such as running, jumping, and football kicking were taught.

Many Nigerians suffered serious injuries ranging from break­ ing of limbs to loss of lives during the early stage of sport introduction to the country because no scientific method was used in teaching sport. For example, in track and field events runners did not have enough training before their competitions and as a result, many of them fainted during long distance run. Some lost their lives because there were no hospitals to cater for such people. Some athletes broke their limbs in trying to jump an impossible height particularly in the pole- vault event where there was no modern pole for vaulting. In

soccer, it was a calamity for the unfortunate players. The

slogan then was 'if you miss the ball, do not miss the leg.'

As a result of these unhappy incidents, parents were very bit­

ter about sports and did not look kindly on any of their child­ ren taking part in any of these activities. Those who later became popular through sports were people who defied their 66 parents ordernot to take part in sports. Such athletes did

Nigeria proud during their days. Some of these athletes were

J.B. Lafimihan, G.A. Akindeko, T. Ejiwumi, K.A.B. Olowu, F.A.

Ajado, T.A. Erinle, S.I. Fawehinmi, Y.S. Tafa, T. Ejiwumi,

A.A.E. Sagey, M.A. Arogundade, S. Bature, H.T.W. Briggs, and

G . Umoru.

The teaching of physical activities in the elementary

schools in Nigeria did not occur because of its importance but because the school curriculum must be followed. To most parents, it was a form of punishment to the students and a way of rigid discipline since everything was more or less

regimental. Gradually, the traditional sports gave way to

sports known and played in Europe and America. The educated

Nigerians and the school drop-outs now took part in sports

like football, track and field, tennis, table-tennis, and

cricket. Sports were now firmly rooted in the schools and it

became the concern of every school to develop sports. It is

the aim of this chapter to show how sports were perpetuated

in schools that were available during the introduction of com­

petitive sports in the country.

Sports Facilities and Equipment:

The facilities available for the traditional sports were

quite different from those used for modern sports. More-over,

they were not at all expensive, but they were few in number

and crude too. For practices, the frontage of houses in the

villages were used. The type of building at this period favored 67 sports practice outside. Houses were build in a semi-circu­ lar form with large open space in the middle for either prac­ tices or competitions. For more important sport coaching like wrestling, sword bearing and throwing the spear, the backyards of houses were used. This was to prevent the opposing players from seeing and studying the techniques to be used. For dar­ ing activities in gymnastics, dunghills were used as training ground. Agilities such as somersauts, tumbling, handstand, handwalk, handspring, and rope climbing were taught on the dunghills. Running, jumping, and throwing were done along the roadsides. The streams and rivers provided the natural swimming pool for both training and competitions. For wrestl­ ing contests, sandy areas which were common all about the vil­ lages and towns were turned into arena. During a wrestling contest, spectators sat in a circular formation leaving some gangways for competitors to use. Competitions were accom­ panied by pomp and pageantry. Each competitor danced from his village to the arena singing songs of praise to denote how strong he was. The head of the village who was always the chairman of the occasion would be surrounded by his deputies, wives, and children. He called on the organizers to recount

the rules governing the competition after which be offered

some rituals for the success of the event before declaring the

competition open.

When modern sports were introduced to Nigeria, the mode of facilities and equipment changed from the crude to the sop­

histicated. Mostly in Nigerian schools, open-door facilities 68 were built for sports. It was common then, to see one large football field either in front of the school or at the back.

The field was used for various purposes like playing football, track and field events, and physical education lessons. Stub­ born grasses were characterized of these fields and they served as great inpediments for athletes. The grasses were very dif­ ficult to cut with the native grass cutters. Improvent had been made on the fields and soft grasses replaced the stubborn ones.

It is not exaggeration that the provision of adequate facilities and equipment will improve the lot of the athletes in any country. No country can produce world class athletes with ease without adequate facilities and equipment. Attrac­ tive facilities will improve the training of Nigerian athletes.

The present available facilities and equipment in Nigeria are not adequate. The few adequate facilities in the country are dotted about and most athletes cannot reach them conveniently.

The few standard stadia in Nigeria are not enough for a coun­ try like Nigeria with a population of over 80 million people.

Presently, Nigeria can boast of only one field house situated at Afuse in Bendel state. This field house belongs to only one state in Nigeria and it is mostlybeing used by the state athletes. The field house gives opportunity to the athletes to train any time of the day, rain or sun shine. No wonder then why the state of Bendel has been doing excellently in sports. It is the intention of the writer to give the descrip­ tion of the most standard sport facilities Nigeria has ever 69 possessed later in this chapter. This is the National Stad­ ium.

Most of the Nigerian universities do not have adequate facilities because of their financial weakness. Out of the present thirteen universities in the country, only about three can boast of adequate facilities. The rest of the universi­ ties only have some playing fields and courts. The facili­ ties available at the university of Ife, in Oyo State of

Nigeria could be said to be adequate in terms of the country's development. At the University of Ife, there is a complex

'Sports Center' which has a multilateral facilities. The com­ plex consists of an undoor sports hall where basketball, vol­ leyball, tennis, and badminton can be played. It also has a training room, classrooms, offices, shower and locker rooms, a reading room and the equipment room. The outside facili­ ties include two football fields, a running track, a cricket pitch, and two field hockey pitches. There are eleven tennis courts with the practice wall, four volleyball courts, four basketball courts, four handball courts, and one netball court. There is also a table tennis hall which harbours ten tables for competition conveniently. The spectators' gallary is centrally placed so that spectators can over look football, track and field, tennis, cricket, volleyball and basketball events.going on simultaneously. Even then with this adequacy of facilities, the university has not been able to build a standard swimming pool. The site and plan though, had been approved but funds are not yet available for construction. 70

Presently, Nigeria relies on European countries for the purchase of its sports equipment. There are no large scale industries to produce sport materials. This lack of sport factories makes it difficult for the Nation to obtain the necessary equipment. Nigeria has to order its materials from foreign countries. Somcetimes, the government of Nigeria places embargo on the ordering of foreign good making it more difficult for the nations athletes to secure the needed equip­ ment. More-over, by the time this equipment arrives in the country, the prices are high because of the custom duties paid on them. This makes the materials too expensive for the athletes to buy.

Since the provision of adequate facilities and equipment is essential for the development of sport, it is the writer's view that Nigeria should build sport facilities in all the states so that adequate training can be given to the athletes, and so that more people should have opportunity to partici­ pate in sports. More-over, sport factories are long over due to be built in the country and it is highly recommended. The assistant sports editor of the Nigerian Punch paper lyiola

Afolabi commenting on the inadequacy of sport facilities in

Nigeria said:

"....Does it not sound ridiculous that at this stage of our sports development, some states do not have standard swimming pool not to talk of even think­ ing of how to build velodrome for cyclists...."2

The writer is of the opinion that the absence of standard swimming pools in some states is not ridiculous but pathetic. This is because, according to the writer, lack of standard 71

swimming pools in some states shows how much importance those

states place on sports. Nothing hinders sport development more than lack of facilities. Lack of facilities would con­

tinue to constitute a big hinderance to the rapid development

of sport basketball game. The absence of ideal playing faci­

lities was instrumental to the negative reaction shown by

attending players and officials as well as individuals, firms,

and organization that would otherwise respond to appeals for

sponsorship.3

The best sports complex in Nigeria is built in Lagos. It is called the National Stadium and Its Complex. Describing the complex, the Nigeria Year Book 1973^ has this to say:

The Oval-shaped stadium in the city of Lagos is designed

to hold 50,000 spectators of whom 10,000 will not be sealed

can be divided into four segments viz:

(i) West Stand or the Grand Stand,

(ii) The East Stand,

(iii) The North Stand, and

(iv) The South Stand.

The West Stand or the Grand Stand is the only part of

the stadium that is covered and will have sitting accommoda­

tion for 10,000 persons. It has two terraces— the lower and

the upper terraces. This stand holds the State box and the

press box. On the ground level are two gymnasia, toilets,

changing rooms, showers as well as medical rooms for first aid,

The East Stand, like the West Stand, also has two ter­

races— the upper and the lower. Though all spectators will 72 be seated but they are not under cover. Below the terraces, on the ground level are storage accommodations for sport equip­ ments, workshops, and a service pit. The ceremonial service entrance to the arena is at the ground level of this stand.

The North Stand also has two terraces. The upper ter­ races are meant for spectators that will be seated while the lower terraces are for standing spectators.

The arrangement at the South Stand is similar to that of the North Stand except that at the basement of the stand is a tunnel which leads from the dressing rooms to the arena.

Facilities are provided for competitors and they consist of changing rooms with locker type, stores, toilets, security and medical rooms for about 100 men and 60 women. Competitors come into the arena through a tunnel and above this tunnel are changing rooms for officials.

The arena itself comprises a 400 meter athletic track of eight lanes covered with an all-weather synthetic material

This is the first of its type in Africa and was donated by the West German Government. Also, covered with the synthetic are the tracks for the 100 meters sprint, the 110 meters hur­ dles and the run-ups to the long jump, high jump, tripple

jump, pole vault and javelin pitches. In the center of the

arena is a standard size football pitch. Surrounding the

arena is a 5.5 meters wide by 5.5 meters deep moat designed

to prevent angry spectators from entering the arena to molest

officials or competitors.

Apart from the all-weather synthetic tracks, the state 73 box and the press box already mentioned there are several other special features in the stadium. There is the waiting room for the Head of State, a conference room and a V.I.P. reception room adjacent to the state box. Other features include fifteen office rooms and a large restaurant with adjoining kitchens and stores. There are also stores for sports equipment and a large number of bars and toilets sit­ uated at strategic points all around the stadium.

The four segments of the oval-shaped stadium are each separated by four 0.9m wide gaps which run through the height of the terraces. Apart from telephones and public address systems there is an intercommunication system. The stadium is equipped with an electric scoreboard, photofinish and tim­ ing equipment. There are four 54.00m high towers to provide floodlighting for the arena as well as the stands and the

5,000 car capacity parking lots.

The stadium, which was completed in 1970, is one of the most modern and best equipped in the world. Apart from the main stadium itself, the complex include the following:

a) A sports hall for indoors sports with the excep­ tion of swimming. The hall is designed to seat 5,000 spectators.

b) A big building containing offices for the use of sports administrators and coaches.

c) An Olympic size swimming pool with a diving pool and electronic score board. There are also covered stands to seat spectators.

d) Seven outdoor tennis courts including a center court and surrounded by stands for spectators. 74

e) Another standard football pitch with stands provided for spectators as well as a field hockey pitch and athletic training track.

f) Six basketball and six volleyball courts with stands for spectators and four handball courts.

Empire Day Sports:

The introduction of western sports to Nigeria by the

British people governing the country then, the military people, and the missionaries was readily admitted by people attending schools. People rose up to sport and it was common to find school children, after school hours, playing with small rub­ ber balls in any available open space. There was need now to introduce an avenue through which school children would gather and play sports. The introduction of the Empire Day celebra­ tions (1893) was the beginning of another era in the sporting life of Nigeria.^ The Empire Day celebration was a great fes­ tival in Nigeria within the school children in a district gathering together at the biggest school in the area. Initi­ ally, the Empire Day was a meeting point to listen to messages of good will from the Crown of England. School children were mainly to honor the ocassion by parading on the streets to the place of the meeting and then round the arena. Grown ups who did not go to school also celebrated the Day by dancing, acrobatic displays and cycle races. Feasting was also done in the schools and foods were provided for the school child­ ren. Later on, the celebration was replaced with organized

track and field events. 75

Empire Day was always celebrated on May 24 of every year and it was always a great day which provided the opportunity for Nigerian school shiclren in mission and public schools to demonstrate their impicit obedience to the British Government.

The Empire Day messages were sent by the Queen or King of Eng­ land through the Governor General in Nigeria. The Governor

General in turn sent copies of the messages to the Regional

Governors who would send copies to the District Officers.

These messages were read to the children and the audience.

Such messages stressed the importance of the British Empire and the role of Nigeria in it. After the messages had been read to the audience, the arena is cleared for the track and field events among the school children who had practiced for barely two weeks to the Empire Day. The winners were pre­ sented with valuable but inexpensive presents.

The above shows what transpired in Nigeria since the inception of the Empire Day till the year 1957 when Nigeria became a self-governing country and the Youth Day Celebration was substituted. The date for the Youth Day was quite dif­ ferent from that of the Empire Day. The Youth Day celebra­ tion came up in the month of April of every year. Prior to the day, school children always practiced their events such as 100 meters, 220 meters, 1 mile race, high jump, long jump, threading the needles, bottle race, three-legged race, catch­

ing the train and relay races.

It was evident that athletic events were not looked upon

as being important during the Empire Day celebrations. Most 76 of the events were done for fun and there was no long term goal for taking part in the event. Taking part in any of these events was just for the ocassion. However, sports dur­ ing the Empire Day celebration did one good thing for the country— it initiated the school children into the modern sports. Another good thing the Empire Day celebration did was to enhance spirit of togetherness and oneness among the eth­ nic groups. It was a time when people forgot their personal animosities and worked together for the common goal of making the day a success. More-over, the sites used for the Empire

Day meetings were later developed for better participation by clubs and associations which were later formed. On such devel­ oped spaces, most Nigerian athletes of the 1950's had their basic training in track and field events.

One of the eye-witnesses of this period and a one time sport administrator in Ogun, Oyo, and Ondo States, Oladipo

Soile wrote;

....In schools, the prominent sports competition that introduced the youths to international sports was the 'Empire Day Celebrations' which was to mark and show loyalty to the British Crown....This Empire Day was a felicious interaction amongst different groups of people from different communities. The celebration was preceded by the national anthem, followed by the reading of the Empire Day Message from the throne, march-past and then sports compe­ titions. Presents of little values such as sing­ lets, exercise books, pencils, erasers, and badges were distributed to winners of the competitions.

...Events in which the school children participated included 100 yards, 200 yards (for boys and girls), sack race, three-legged race, lime and spoon race, threading the needle, catching the train, long jump, high jump, and pole vault. Traditional sports were sometimes used during these celebrations...... 77

....The fields used for these competitions were not smooth and spherical. They were rectangular in structure. There were pot-holes, stumps and all what not. These fields were later improved in later years as race courses and sport fields. The early pioneers of sports in this region and Nigeria as a whole such as Late Archdeacon John Mackay, late Mr. Aboderin (a fast runner as far back as 1920's), Mr. H.G. Ramshaw, and Mr. V.B.V. Powell of the Ministry of Western Nigeria (V.B.V. Powell was the most vociferous of all the pioneers of modern sports in Nigeria) built upon contributions of Empire Day and its influences to introduce sports to national and international standards....®

Though, sporting activities were not taken serious at the school level, the army took sport as very important. The army took both physical education and athletics more seriously as part of their training and civic duties. They were aware of the need for physical activities as means of developing them physically. They believe also in performing activities accord­ ing to aesthetic standards awith prominence on beauty and accu­ racy of performance rather than outcome. The army also believes that physical activities and athletics should be engaged in order to maintain a moral standard in which loyalty to the

King or Queen of England and nation was paramount. It was also the government's view to develop a citizen soldier, phy­ sically prepared to defend the British Empire.

Inter-School Athletic Competitions;

Nigeria's real athletic progress began with the introduc­ tion of serious sports in teacher training colleges in 1910 7 and later on with its extension into secondary schools. For­ merly, the Empire Day series in athletic was organized among 78 the elementary schools in the country. The athletic events were performed for the fun of it and as such there were no records for the individual athletes. As a result, it was not possible for the writer to have some useful data for this research. The earliest inter-school athletic meeting in the whole of Nigeria was held in Oyo Province between Baptist

Schools and Anglican (Episcopal) Schools between 1900 and 1910.®

In the 1930's shields and cups were introduced into the

Nigerian secondary schools and teacher training colleges. The

introduction of shields and cups to schools was another land mark in the field of sports in Nigeria. Both the schools and

the students realized what they were competing for and why

they were participating in sports. Every school or college

struggled to win either the shields or the trophies. At this

period, the popularity and importance of any school was mea­

sured by us achievement in sports and many parents now wanted

to send their children to popular schools.

There were three categories of schools in Nigeria at this time

which involved themselves in athletic competitions. They were

the government owned schools, government aided schools and

colleges and the unaided schools. All the government owned

schools at that period could be said to have the best facili­

ties and equipments for sports. Though those facilities and

equipments could not be regarded as very standard and adequ­

ate. These government schools enjoyed a direct financial

support from the government and the government also wanted to

demonstrate the best way to run a school to the school 79 proprietors. On the other hand, the government aided schools only received subsistence allowances from the government to supplement the income received from students' school fees and donations. The grant-aided schools and colleges were usually owned by the church missionaries, voluntary agencies and com­ munities. The unaided schools were the proprietary schools and colleges owned by individuals or organizations. Most of such schools and colleges were established for trade purposes.

It was then usual that such schools and colleges charged exhaubitant fees and they used to admit more students than the government offered them. The result was that the build­ ings were not adequate for the enrollment. The sshools were unable to have any good facilities and equipment for sports even though sports fees were collected from the students.

The three categories of school and colleges were all registered with the Ministry of Education as failure to do so meant closure of the schools. The difference not withstand­ ing, all the schools took part in early inter-school competi­ tions. The majority of the schools took part in the competi­

tions listed in Table 1.

Since the British Colonial masters in Nigeria introduced modern sports to the country, it was not a surprise then that

those who donated the shield and cups were the British admin­

istrators and educators who had interest in sporting activi­

ties. They wanted to promote sports in Nigeria by all means.

Each one of them donated a shield or a cup for a particular

event of their interest. Therefore, shields and cups were 80

TABLE 1

EARLY TROPHIES FOR NIGERIAN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES IN TRACK AND FIELD EVENTS^

Trophy Years Presented

The Rowden Shield (1st shield) 1910 - 1925

The Peace Challenge Shield 1919 - 1934

The Governor’s Shield 1921 - 1927

The Urling Smith Shield 1925 - 1934

The First Ross Shield (2nd shield) 1926 - 1954

The Aionian Shield 1931 - Present

The Fisher Shield 1932 - 1934

The Grier Cup 1933 - Present

The Hussey Shield 1933 - 1934

The Pernaby Shield 1933 - Present

The Schilling Ford Trophy 1933

The Second Ross Shield (3rd shield) 1955 - 1966

The Third Ross Shield (4th shield) 1967 - Present

The Butler-Cooke Cup 1950 - 19717 81 donated for such events like sprinting, middle distances, high jump and throwing events. The names of the outstanding schools and colleges that took part in the competitions are shown in Table 2.

It is obvious that the founding of more secondary schools and colleges contributed a lot to the development of sports in

Nigeria. Students who had been involved in the Empire Day competitions went to these secondary schools and teachers' colleges for further studies. They eventually continued with their sporting activities. Most of these secondary schools and colleges were situated in he southern part of the country.

The Rowden Shield;

Around 1900, four outstanding teacher training colleges were already functioning well in both academic and physical activities. The Director of Education, southern provinces of

Nigeria, Mr. C.E. Rowden was much impressed by what he saw during one of his visits to these teacher training colleges and he wanted to encourage sports and friendliness among these colleges. Mr. C.E. Rowden thus presented a shield to be awarded to the college scoring the highest honors in ath­ letic events. In 1910, these four schools— St. Andrew's Col­ lege, Oyo, the Baptish College and Seminary, Ogbomosho,

Wesley College, Ibadan, and Church Missionary Society (C.M.S.)

Training Institute, Oshogbo competed for the Rowden Shield at

Oyo for the first time. This competition, which was annual was always held at Oyo because that was the place where the 82

TABLE 2

OUTSTANDING SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES THAT TOOK PART IN INTER-SCHOOL ATHLETIC IN NIGERIA^°

Schools Location Date Agency

C.M.S. Grammar School Lagos 1859 Church Missionary Society St. Gregory’s College Lagos 1876 Roman Catholic Mission Methodist Boys High School Lagos 1878 Methodist Methodist Girls High School Lagos 1879 Methodist Baptist Boys High School Lagos 1885 Baptist Hope Waddell Tr. Inst. Calabar 1895 Church of Scotland Mission St. Andrews College Oyo 1896 Church Missionary Society Baptist Teacher College Ogbomoso 1897 Baptist St. Paul's Tr. College Awka 1904 C.M.S. Cron Tr. Tr. Institution Oron 1905 Primitive Methodist Wesleyan Tr. Tr. College Ibadan 1903 Methodist Abeokuta Grammar School Abeokuta 1908 C.M.S. King's College Lagos 1909 Government Eko Boys High School Lagos 1913 Private Ibadan Grammar School Ibadan 1913 C.M.S. Ijebu-Ode Grammar School Ij ebu-Ode 1919 Church of Scotland Mission Ondo Boys High School Ondo 1919 C.M.S. Ibo Boys Institute Uzuakoli 1923 Primitive Methodist Baptist Boys High School Abeokuta 1923 Baptist Dennis Mem. Gram. School Onitsha 1928 C.M.S. United Missionary College Ibadan 1928 Methodist St. Thomas' College Asabo 1928 Roman Catholic Mission St. Charles' Tr. College Onitsha 1929 Roman Catholic Mission Government College Ibadan 1929 Government Government College Umuahia 1929 Government 83 required facilities were available. The list of winners of this shield is shown in Table 3.

The Governor's Shield;

As stated earlier in this writing, the British Government sent representatives to Nigeria to administer the government of the country. These representative heads were called gover­ nors. One of such governors who was administering the govern­ ment of Nigeria was Sir Hugh Clifford, G.C.M.G.; G.B.E. He was the second governor of Nigeria since the British Govern­ ment colonized the country. The officers were always willing to leave a mark behind beofre they left the country by either building a road, a house, or a school. Sir Hugh Clifford was very interested in sports and he wanted the development of sports in Nigeria. In 1912, he donated a shield for competi­ tion among the existing schools in Nigeria. In all, thirteen schools took part in the competition. There were ten of them from the southern provinces and three from the northern pro­ vinces. The competition was held for seven years before the shield was terminated in 1927.

The Grier Cup;

In 1933, a cup was donated by Selwyn Grier, the Comman­ der of St. Michaels and St. George (C.M.G.), who was the

Director of Education of the Southern Provinces of Nigeria.

This cup was named after the donor hence the name "Grier Cup."

The donation of Grier Cup ushered in changes in the pattern of 84

TABLE 3

THE ROOTEN SHIELD (1st Shield 1910-1925)

Year Place Winner

1910 Oyo St. Andrew’s College, Oyo

1911 Oyo St. Andrew's College, Oyo

1912 Oyo St. Andrew's College, Oyo

1913 Oyo St. Andrew's College, Oyo

1914 Oyo St. Andrew's College, Oyo

1915 Oyo St. Andrew's College, Oyo

1916 Oyo Baptist College, Ogbomosho

1917 Oyo St. Andrew's College, Oyo

1918 — No Competition

1919 — No Competition, World War I

1920 — St. Andrew's College, Oyo

1921 Oyo St. Andrew's College, Oyo

1922 Oyo St. Andrew's College, Oyo

1923 Oyo St. Andrew's College, Oyo

1924 Oyo Batist College, Ogbomosho

1925 Oyo Baptist College Ogbomosho 85 sporting activities in Lagos Colony and the western provinces.

In fact, this cup competition was the most outstanding of all the competitions in Nigeria then. The competition involved all the secondary schools and teacher training colleges in the colony of Lagos and the western provinces of Nigeria. Jus­ tifying this was V.B.V. Powell who wrote:

"...Before 1930, the main strengths of Nigerian athletics lay in the Army, the teacher training colleges and the Empire Day Sports meetings for primary schools. Then with the advent of the Grier Cup and the Hussey Shield competitions in the the secondary schools, sports really began, though three teacher training colleges took part in the first Grier Cup contest. And this was pro­ bably one of the most exciting contests in the whole eventful series..."

"...There can be no doubt that these two competi­ tions....the Grier Cup in the 'West', and the Hussey Shield throughout the country have done much to develop school athletics and the Grier Cup has inspired the establishment of similar competition in the then East and the North..."12

The schools and colleges in the Grier Cup competition were St. Andrew's College, Oyo; Wesley College, Ibadan, Bap­ tist College, Ogbomosho (now at IWO, the writer's home town);

King's College, and St. Gregory's College, Lagos; Government

College, Ibadan. The first competition was held at the grounds of Government College, Ibadan, and St. Andrew's, Oyo won the Cup. The.second competition was held in Lagos, and it was won by King's College, Lagos, Nigeria.

The Aionian group of grammary schools later joined the competition thus making it more keenly contested. The Aio­ nian group of schools are made up of Anglican secondary schools. Formally, Aionian Shield competition was restricted 86 to Ibadan Grammar School, Ondo Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode

Grammar School and Abeokuta Grammar School. The late Reverend

M.C. Adeyemi, founder and first Principal of Ondo Boys' High

School donated the Aionian Shield. The word "Aionian" was

formed from the the initial letters of all the four pioneering

school in the Aionian group of schools:

A— Abeokuta Grammar School

I— Ijebu-Ode Grammar School

ON— Ondo Boys' High School

I— Ibadan Grammar School, and

'AN'— made the name adjectival

Later at this period the triangular colleges, as they

were d i e d because of their geographical locations, could not

compete in both the Ross Sheild and the Grier Cup simultane­

ously. The three colleges, St. Andres's College, Oyo, Wesley

College, Ibadan, and Baptist College, Iwo withdrew from the

Grier Cup Competition adhering to the Ross Shield.

The Hussey Shield:

Though by 1914, the amalgamation of Norhtern and Southern

Protectorates had been done by Sir Fredrick Lugard, there were

only few things done in common by both protectorates. The

British representatives were looking for avenues to unite both

the north and the south in a common fellowship. One such

officer who was pre-occupied with the unity of Nigeria was

Mr. E.R.J. Hussey, the then Director of Education in Nigeria.

Hussey was a sportsman himself who had taken part in sporting 87 events in Britain before coming to Nigeria. As the Director of Education Hussey discovered that the athletic competitions in the country were ethnic in nature. The competitions only brought few groups together. He was of the opinion that the mushroom inter-school competitions did not serve the purpose of uniting the nation. More-over, Hussey also wanted to cre­ ate a good understanding among the various ethnic groups speaking different languages. He therefore donated a shield for all the schools in the northern and southern provinces of the country. This shield was name after him— "Hussey Shield."

The first competition was held on May 1, 1933 at the Govern­ ment College grounds, Ibadan. Outstanding athletes were drawn from both northern and southern provinces. So, it was representatives of north versus the representatives of south.

This first competition was won by the south. In 1934, the venue was shifted to the north and the competition was held in Kano city. The south again maintained the lead by winning the competition. This competition was very significant because it brought the young Nigerians from north and south together. " In these meetings lie tremendous possibilities for future closer associations of, and understanding between, 13 the people of Nigeria," remarked Mr. V.B.V. Powell.

"...Other benefits derived from this competition were that boys were brought together from all over the country for the first time to share good quali­ ties, to know one another in the happy atmosphere of an athletic competition....Competition must be a factor in developing the understanding that will eventually make Nigeria a united c o u n t r y . 88

Though this competition brought together the youths from the northern and southern protectorates of Nigeria, it was devoid of the needed unity between the two protectorates. The rivalry between the south and the north was generating to an unhealthy one. The unity was broken into two distinctive blocks— -the north and the south. What happened was that the youths from the southern protectorate were closely united while the youths from the northern protectorate were also closely united. The atmosphere turned to be a grueling match between two different countries rather than be a keen compe­ tition among brothers from the same nation.

The Hussey Shield competition also limited the number of participants because of the few number of secondary schools

and colleges available in the country, at this period. More­

over, athletes were chosen from all the available high schools

in each of the protectorates to represent the protectorates.

This system limited the number of representative athletes

from the high schools.

Another defect of the Hussey Shield competition was that

girls were not involved in it. This was due to the fact that

there were few or no girls' secondary schools in the country

at this period. In schools where there were female students,

athletic for girls was not important. Girls were termed

'weaker vessels' who should not be allowed to participate in

track and field events which were termed to be too vigorous

and rigorous for them. 89

Many good athletes were spotted out during this annual competition and some of them represented Nigeria in some international competitions and the Olympic Games. Among these athletes were S.I. Fawehinmi, G.O. Ojutalayo, J.B. Lafimihan,

Y.S. Tafa, G.A. Deko, I.S. Adewale, A.A.B. Sagay, H.J. Ekperigin,

T. Ejiwumi, and H.T.W. Briggs.

The Ross Shield;

The Rowden Shield, which was the first shield ever in

Nigeria has been talked about earlier in this chapter and it was the shield competed for by St. Andrew's, Wesley, Baptist

Colleges, and the C.M.S. Training Institute. In 1926, this shield was replaced with the Ross Shield by Captain W.A. Ross

(C.M.G.), President of Oyo Province. This was termed the

'second shield'. After 1927 competition in Oyo the venue was shifted to Ibadan Race Course at the requests of Wesley Col­ lege, Ibadan. Thus, the meetings were held in rotation between the three oldest colleges till 1954. The period from

1941-1947 was the 'dark age' for Ross Shield competition because there were no competitions held because of the World

War II. The list of the winners of the first Ross Shield

from 1926-1954 is shown in Table 4.

In 1955, the Deputy Director of Education of Western

Nigeria, W.T. Mackell donated another shield to replace the

shield donated by Captain Ross. This shield was also named

the second Ross Shield which infact was the third shield.

This shield was vied for by the three colleges between 1955 90

table 4

FIRST ROSS SHIELD 15 (Second Shield 1926-1954)

Year Place Winner

1926 Oyo Baptist College, Ogbomosho 1927 Oyo Baptist College, Ogbomosho 1928 Ibadan Baptist College, Ogbomosho 1929 Ogbomosho Baptist College, Ogbomosho 1930 Oyo Baptist College, Ogbomosho 1931 Ogbomosho Baptist College, Ogbomosho 1932 Oyo Baptist College, Ogbomosho 1933 Grier Cup held at St. Andrews College, Oyo Oyo 1934 Grier Cup, Oyo King's College, Lagos 1935 Grier Cup, Oyo King’s College, Lagos 1936 Oyo St. Andrews College, Oyo 1937 Ibadan St. Andrews College, Oyo 1938 Ibadan St. Andrews College, Oyo 1939 Oyo Baptist College, Iwo 1940 Two St. Andrews College, Oyo 1941 No competition 1942 No competition 1943 No competition 1944 No competition 1945 No competition 1946 No competition 1947 No competition 1948 Oyo Baptist College, Iwo 1949 Ibadan Wesley College, Ibadan 1950 Two Wesley College, Ibadan 1951 Oyo Baptist College, Two 1952 Ibadan Wesley College, Ibadan 1953 Two Wesley College, Ibadan 1954 Oyo Wesley College, Ibadan 91 and 1966. In 1966, Wesley College, Ibadan won the competi­ tion and kept the shield finally as formally agreed by the organizers of this meeting. See Table 5.

In 1967, another shield was donated to replace the for­ mer one and it retained the same name. Third Ross Shield.

This triangular competition is still very popular in Nigeria today between the three oldest teacher training colleges in the country. See Table 6 for the winners.

The panorama of sporting activities in the country was initiated by the British government officials and the Niger­ ian people also showed interest and accepted sports as part of their life. After Independence, many Nigerians also started to show their patriotism for sports. Some of the important people also donated trophies both at the state and national levels. It is therefore a common thing to hear about Fadulu-Oredugba Cup, Labiyi Cup, Principals' Cup and

Governor's Cup. The donation of shields and trophies for sports competitions in Nigeria did not only bring the people together, but it affected changes in sports administration, equipment and facilities. For instance, the competitions helped to improve the standard of track and field lay-out, officiating, running of sports meetings adequately and pro­ vision of sports equipment and facilities. One good example is the pole-vault event where bamboo poles were used as vault­

ing poles. Apart from being too heavy to be carried, the bamboo poles often cracked without being noticed by the pole vaulters who used them. The result was that many poles broke 92

TABLE 5

THE SECOND ROSS SHIELD

(3rd Shield 1955-1966)16

Year Place Winner

1955 Ibadan Wesley College, Ibadan

1956 Iwo Baptist College, Iwo

1957 Oyo Wesley College, Ibadan

1958 Ibadan St. Andrews College, Oyo

1959 Iwo St. Andrews College, Oyo

1960 Oyo St. Andrews College, Oyo Wesley College, Ibadan, 1961 Ibadan tied with Baptist College, Iwo

1962 Iwo Wesley College, Ibadan

1963 Oyo St. Andrews College, Oyo

Wesley College, Ibadan 1964 Ibadan tied with Baptist College, low

1965 Iwo Baptist College, Iwo

1966 Oyo Wesley College, Ibadan 93

TABLE 6

THE THIRD ROSS SHIELD (4th SHIELD) 1967-PRESENT

Year Place Winner

1967 Ibadan Wesley College, Ibadan

1968 Iwo Wesley College, Ibadan

1969 Oyo St. Andrew's College, Oyo

1970 Ibadan Baptist College, Iwo

1971 Iwo Baptist College, Iwo

1972 Oyo Wesley College, Ibadan

1973 Ibadan St. Andrew's College, Oyo

1974 Iwo Baptist College, Iwo

1975 Oyo Wesley College, Ibadan

1976 Ibadan St. Andrew's College, Oyo

1977 Iwo Baptist College, Oyo

1978 Oyo Baptist College, Iwo

1979 Ibadan Wesley College, Ibadan

1980 Iwo ? 94 while the pole vaulters were still in the space. This situa­ tion caused a lot of injuries ranging from fractured limbs to death. From this experience, sports administrators were forced to order for the aluminium poles which are more durable.

Now in Nigeria, most pole vaulters use fiber glass poles at the college and club levels.

The use of the pole vault box was not known until it was introduced in 1933 during the Grier Cup competition. Before this time, competitors used to dig a hole big enough to occupy their poles with the end of their poles and this crude method led to many accidents. More-over, there was a new look in the field of officiating in sports meetings. Many officiating courses were organized by sports experts. Right from the start, the officials were taught how to organize sports meet­ ings and officiate adequately without looking for any material reward. Better equipment were introduced to replace the crude and inadequate ones. For instance, in competitions such as the Grier Cup, cricket ball was used for the throwing of dis­ cus, and ordinary pointed sticks of some length were used for

javelin. V.B.B. Powell, an eye witness of what happened then wrote, "It took time to replace them with mental discus and 17 metal shaft javelin."

In spite of this crude equipment and bad facilities in

the country then, many athletes were produced who were able

to distinguish themselves among numerous others. These ath­

letes of fame paved way to the future outstanding ones who

represented Nigeria in national and international engagements. 95

These athletes of fame were mentioned by people who saw them perform and eventually, their names were passed from genera­ tion to generation. However, it is not enough a honor to men­ tion a few of them here because of their pioneering work in developing sports in Nigeria. Some of these names are J.K.

Oye in 1936 from St. Andrew's College, Oyo, whose pole vault record stood until it was broken by Isaac Ekpeti of St. Gre­ gory's College, Lagos ten years later in 1946; J.D. Odebunmi of Baptist College, Ogbomosho who was outstanding in half-mile race together with G.O. Ojutalayo of Government College, Iba­ dan; I.S. Adewale of King's College, Lagos, and I.T. John Bull of the same college who performed excellently in a mile race during the Hussey Shield competitions. Others were Harding

Ekperigin of Government College, Ibadan who first established a national record in long jump with a leap of 22 feet 2h inches during the Grier Cup Competition before Babs Olowu,

Tunde Williams and Tunde West broke the record in 1937 with a jump of 22 feet, 3 inches. H. Ekperigin was the first Niger­ ian to be trained as physical education specialist in Britian, who later became Inspector of Education (P.E.) in the former

Western Region and later Senior Inspector of Education (P.E.) 18 at the Bendel State before he retired. Most of the records set by these athletes stood for a long period before they were broken by the present athletes. 96

Inter-Club Competition;

The sports events in both primary and secondary schools initiated the first set of educated Nigerians into how best to use their leisure time. These people became very interested in sports and they had already taken it as their ways of life.

This interest generated some useful thoughts in their minds which eventually led to formation of clubs. Initially, clubs were formed at local levels using area and location names to name the clubs. It was not uncommon then to find Isale Eko

Soccer Club, Tinubu Square Tennis Club, Yemetu Boys' Boxing

Club, and Isale-Oba Social Football Club. Later on, towns,

cities, factories, and government enterprices started to expound and more school leavers were employed. This brought

about the formation of clubs by these workers in various works

of life. The enthusiasm of these group of people for sports

which they so much loved in schools helped the growth and

development of modern sports in Nigeria.

The European missionaries and officials also continued

the sports and games they had taken part in Europe and America,

their countries of origin. Most of them participated in

various sports, coached them and acted as sports orginzers in

the country. Clubs were now formed in most of the government

functionaries such as the Nigerian Army, the Police Force, the

Railway Company, the United African Company (U.A.C.), the Pri­

sons, the Pan Bank and the Bata Company. These companies and

enterprises established various sports and games clubs and

they could be given the honor of propagating sports to all 97 parts of Nigeria. Most of these outstanding clubs were found in large cities and towns, "especially Lagos where existed the Lagos European Cricket Club, European Recreational Club,

Lagos Cricket and Recreational Club, the Lagos Club, the

Christmas Sports Club, Muslim Athletic Club, Young Men's Ath­ letic Club and the Polo Club."^^ Most of these clubs orga­ nized informal tournaments among themselves. It should be noted here that the financing of the clubs was done by the money contributed by the club members. Each member of the club bought his own equipment for which ever game he played.

The Sports Editor of Lagos Weekly Record in one of his writ- inc:-; ;

'I...The first European club to be formed in Lagos ran an athletic meeting for its members on the 22nd and 26th of December, 1900 in Lagos. Other clubs too held their meetings. The program of events were flat races which included 100 yards, 220 yards and 440 yards. The jumps included long jump, high jump, and hop-step and jump. Throwing events included throwing the hammer and throwing the cricket ball. There were other events like costume race and old members race. Valuable prize were distributed at the end of each competi­ tion. Other clubs like the Muslim Athletic ciub, Tlia Christmas Club and Youth Clubs had some ath­ letic events in their programs during the festi­ vals...."

"....Soon after the successes of thes clubs, inter­ club sports and games followed with inter-colonial contests...."20

These clubs offered opportunity to sports enthusiasts

to participate in modern sports like table tennis, tennis,

boxing and soccer. Among the sports clubs formed around this

period in the then Western Region were the Western Region

Lawn Tennis, the Ibadan Tennis Club, the Recreation Club and 98 other sectional or local clubs within Ibadan. The members of these clubs taxed themselves to raise fund for the upkeep and running of the clubs. The interest of the members especially the administrators and educators was so tremendous that financing the clubs constituted no problem. Each member was not only paying his annual dues, there was readiness to give generous donation in cash, trophies, and shields. The Niger­ ian sportsmen were however, encouraged by the white pioneers of sports. The white pioneers of sports projected their interest further by encouraging the Nigerian sports lovers to form amateur sport organizations all over the country. On the other hand, the Nigerians too were willing to know more about all the modern sports so that they might be able to take part in them and also organize them themselves.

Though athletics were the first modern sport to enjoy popularity, football soon became the game of the people and the most popular drawing large crowd. Up till the time of writ­ ing this dissertation, football is known all over Nigeria as the king of sports and it is so treated even by the adminis- tratiors of sports. One of the reasons why football became the most popular is because it lends itself to both literate

and illiterate alike. In Nigeria, you do not have to go to

school to be able to play football. Even before school age,

children kick small balls all about in any available open

space. The game has become more or less traditional to the

people. Most of the rules of the games are picked up during

play at an early age. The game of football is so popular in 99 the country that football clubs are leading clubs in the Fed­ eration. There are football clubs every where in the country even in the villages . It is difficult to find athletic clubs, basketball clubs, volleyball clubs, and others every­ where except in big cities and towns.

The Hercules Football Club of Ibadan in Oyo State of 21 Nigeria was the first to be formed in Ibadan in 1937. This club was founded by the late Mr. E.A. Ogunsola who was the government inspector of physical training as was known at that time. It is historic that people who have always been involved in sports club formation have always been sports participants themselves. Describing the formation of the Hercules Football

Club of Ibadan, Ayo Adeniji, the Chief football coach of Oyo

State, and a pioneering member of the club himself wrote:

....This Club was founded forty-two years ago. The founder was Mr. E.A. Ogunsola of the blessed memory. It was sometimes in 1937 when the idea of forming a football club flashed across the mind of this great athlete and with some fellow sportsmen like Messrs S.O. Onafowokan, P.O. Chuckwude, Z.B. Odunodi, J.O. Famuyiwa, C.R. Naze, got round some other aspiring footballers and agreed to form the nucleus of that great club, "Hercules Football Club of Ibadan....22

This great athlete, the late Ogunsola almost single handedly nursed the young club putting in all he had and using his influence as a government official to bring the club into the limelight. This club became the loving team of Ibadan

fans. There were other football clubs formed around this period. They were the Africs Football Club, the Secretariat

Football Club, Agric Football Club, Bata Football Club and

the Railway Football Club. In fact, this great club paved the way 100 for other mushroom clubs which sprang up in later years.

Around the same period, similar interest were springing up in other sports like boxing, hockey, cricket, table tennis and tennis. Many clubs were formed in these sports by people who were highly interestd in sport. Boxing was another out­ standing sport that commanded the attention of people. There was little wonder then why Nigeria had produced world class boxers. The nucleus of amateur boxing in Nigeria is the 23 organization of Boys' Clubs in the early 40's. Mr. (now

Revd.) Donald Ernest Faulkner, the then Social Welfare Officer for Lagos, started boxing activities with the boys in the

Green Triangle Hostel at Kakawa Street, Lagos, a home for juve­ nile deliquents. No sooner other boys outside the hostel were attracted by the new sport. Kakawa hostel was usually crowded with boys trying their hands with boxing gloves every evening.

The Daily Times Cup was then presented by the Daily Times of

Nigeria for boxing competition among the Boys' Clubs which were now all over Lagos, Ikeja and Agege. Other boxing clubs formed around this period were the Paramount Boxing Club founded by Mr. Nap Penegrino, Broadway Boxing Club founded by

Mr. N.A. Taiwo and the Railway Boxing Club. These clubs are credited with the production of Nigeria's foremost amateur boxers who later turned professionals. Some of these outstand­ ing boxers were Hogan Bassey, former World Feather-weight Box­ ing Champion; late Dick Tiger former World Middle-weight Box­ ing Champion; Speedy Twitch; George Raymond; Jimmy Zale; Kid

Ilori; Joe Bennet; Kid Richards; Bob Wilson; Fred Ilori; 101

Rafiu King; Ayo Bolmer; Babatunde Taiwo; Omola Ogbe and Dick

Turpin.

In 1958, Hogan 'King' Bassey was named the Sportsman of the year. Describing this great fighter the Nigeria Year Book of 1958 wrote:

....The greatest boxing personality in the past year was of course Hogan Bassey, world feather-weight boxing champion. And who could grudge him that high position in Nigerian sport? For he fought not only for himself, but also for his country....Nothing could stop Bassey now— not even the insistence of Cherif Hamia, No. 1 contender, that the fight for the world title be held in Paris, Bassey defied this and the fact that a French Referee was chosen to offici­ ate, went into the Palais de Sport ring and came out victorious, the referee stopping the fight in the tenth round to save Hamia unnecessary punishment.24

The whole of Nigeria celebrated Hogan Bassey's victory,

and celebrated again when the champion and members of his

family and his manager, George Biddles came to Nigeria after

the fight for a four week vacation. The four weeks were with­

out rest with every town, community and association trying to

outbid one another in welcoming the hero. He was truly and

sincerely given a hero's welcome.

The year 1953 was an important year in the history of

amateur boxing in Nigeria. The Nigerian Amateur Boxing Asso­

ciation was formed. The Association now catered for all the

boxing clubs over the country. In other words, all other

district, divisional, and state association were put under the

umbrellas of the National Association. The Nigerian Amateur

Boxing Association on the other hand affiliated to the Asso­

ciation International De Boxe Amateur (A.I.B.A.) thus having

the opportunity for the Nigerian amateur boxers to be 102 considered for the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. In

1954, Nigeria had two entrants in an international event out­ side Nigeria. Two boxers, Bantam weight Garuba Ide, and his brother. Ado Garuba were sent to Vancouver in August, 1954.

The trip to Vancouver that was meant to be really experimen­ tal turned out well for Garuba Ide gained a bronze medal for

Nigeria while his brother. Ado Garuba was by no means dis­ graced in the fly weight class.

The boxing clubs in Nigeria vied for the Collister Belt annually and this provided good avenue to develop sport in the country. Santos Martins, who returned from England for a short time, won the welter weight title and received the Collister

Belt for the upper division while Jimmy Zale won the lower division in the fly weight class.

In 1957, Hogan Basey donated a Cup to the then Eastern

Region of Nigeria. Putting it in a nut-shell, the sports com­ mentator in the Nigeria Year Book of 1958 said:

....A new development in the east was the inter-town knock-out competition for the Hogan Bassey Cup. This was won by Enugu's boxers. It is to be hoped that the West and North will also manage to organize sim- lar contests...

...In Lagos the amateur championships were fought before Hogan Bassey. He presented the prizes to the winners...25

Other sports were also struggling to exist along with soccer, boxing and athletics particularly, as well as cricket which

Nigerians called "the gentleman's game." This is because of its nature of play such as the dress and other equipment used and because any member of the team may call a 'time out' for 103 tea which over-rules the Umpire of the game. Cricket of course was one of the games that was introduced early in

Nigeria by the Europeans. However, it did not lend itself to the natives because of the costly equipment and playing suits.

What happened was that most members of the Nigerian cricket team were Europeans while only a hand full of players were

Nigerians. Many friendly matches were organized between Euro­ pean and African clubs in Lagos. The first inter-colonial friendly competition was held in 1903. In this year, cricket club of Nigeria invited their Ghana (formerly Gold Coast) counterparts for cricket, billiard, tennis, and golf competi­ tions. This friendly competition took place on April 10, 1903 in Lagos at the Race Course. Ghana Colonial teams won most of the events.

In fact, these inter-colonial competitions served one good purpose— it initiated the formation of more clubs in

Nigeria. The games were the talk of the season and people started to think seriously about forming more clubs and rein­ forcing the existing ones. Among the clubs formed were the

Unity Cricket Club led by M.L. Goyea, Derby Cricket and

Recreational Club. There were series of matches organized among these clubs in preparation for the return match against Ghana in 1905. One of such matches which was orga­ nized to select the Nigerian side was the "All versus All" which took place in Lagos the same year. At the close of the

tournaments, the following names were selected for the cric­

ket return match: Kijoyi, Ajasa, S.B. Refell, J.B. Paris, 104

T. Jackson, Evelyn Williams, Hudson Cole, Dahl, Daniel, I. 27 Way, Herbert Macaulay, E.O. King, and Victor Campbell. This preparation yielded a good result for Nigeria beat Ghana in the competitions of that year. The inter-colonial competi­ tions between Nigeria and Ghana continued to exist even up till the time of writing except that the name has changed to

'International Cricket Match' between Nigeria and Ghana.

Now that the Cricket Association was formed, the game was no longer the Colony of Lagos' affairs but it extended to all parts of the country particularly the southern provinces. With the blessing of the Nigeria Cricket Association a team consist­ ing mostly of Europeans on leave went to play some matches in

England. The only Nigerian who played in all of the matches in England was E.A. Hughes. The purpose of the tour was to let the cricketing fraternity in England know that organized cricket of a high standard was played in Nigeria and perhaps to establish a touring club affiliated to the Nigeria Cricket

Association (N.C.A.) for the purpose of making such tours an annual event. It was also felt that such tours might pave the way for a tour by a fully representative Nigerian side. Com­ menting on the objective. Sir Pelham Warner said:

"...There is every hope that the tours would become a regular feature of the English cricket season..."28

In the early part of sporting activities in Nigeria table

tennis did not develop as expected. This was because many peo­

ple did not take the game serious. People felt the game could

not be thrilling and interesting. They also felt that it does 105 not involve any physical strength and endurance as such those who played it could not sweat much. The spectators and cri­ tics of this game also felt that it was a game of fun, and chance. However, things changed as many competitions were being organized by local clubs and lovers of the game. The game of table tennis used to be the affairs of the schools until such time that the players were out of schools. They were now working in factories, firms, and governmetn organi­

zations and they needed some cheap game to recreate. The table tennis game was the answer since it is a cheap game that does not need much space. In the sports review of 1954, the

sports writer said:

"....Much table tennis is not being played through­ out the country but local organizations are lack­ ing except in Lagos, Kaduna, and Ibadan. This is regrettable and surprising since it is a cheap game and requires the least playing space of all sports..." 29

Such was the condition of table tennis around the early

1950's. However, there were some table tennis clubs in Lagos

and around the Western and Northern and Easter regions and

league tournaments were organized in Lagos. For about four

years the Atomic Table Tennis Club of Lagos won the Lagos Lea­

gue in succession and to crown the monopoly of this game by

the club, its second team took second place. In 1954, the

United African Company (U.A.C.) won the knock-out tournament

and thus retained the Mayor's Cup for the year. In the same

year, a knock-out tournament was organized among the secondary

schools in Lagos. The tournament was won by the Eko Boys' High

School team. 106

Prominent among the players were the National Singles

Champion, O. Ayanlaja; A. Chuckwuba of Police who won the

Christmas tournament and the Red Cross Singles and Segun. It appeared Nigeria had no problem in reaching a high standard in the table tennis games because they always beat Ghana in the annual international match. Writing on this, the Nigeria

Year Book said:

....For the third year in succession Nigeria beat the Gold Coast (Ghana) in an international match by 13 matches to 7, with 5 uncompleted, to retain the Azikiwe Cup. The Nigerian team consisted of Chuckwuba (Captain), Ayanlaja, Segun, Shenjobi, and Alii with John as a reserve. In charge of the team at Accra was Mr. B.J. Oni....30

Field hockey did not gain much ground in the country because of the fact that people thought of field hockey as a dangerous game and that the materials needed for the game were too expensive. Because of the expensive equipment, only few secondary schools belonging to the government played field hockey. These are schools like King's College, Lagos; Govern­ ment College, Ibadan; Queen's School, Ibadan; Government Col­ lege, Ugheli, Government College, Ilorin; Government College,

Kaduna; Government Collge, Zaria; and Government College, Kano.

The game progressed well in these government institutions and a bulk of the Nigerian team were chosen from these institu­ tions. Apart from these schools, the Army also played field hockey. Those players who had the opportunity to play the game showed keen interest in it and they tried to project the game. The game continued to progress and the Nigerian players have demonstrated a wonderful aptitude for the game. King's 107

College, Lagos particularly maintained their position as the outstanding team and "it is from this establishment that we may expect many of our future international players.

Basketball was only known among the Army in Nigeria. How­ ever, some secondary schools in northern Nigeria played the game because the American teachers in those schools organized it. The game started to gain ground in Nigeria in the late

1950's and it is now being played in most of the secondary schools in Nigeria.

Volleyball was played as early as the late 1940's in some of the elementary schools and Teacher Training Colleges in

Nigeria. The game was mainly played by girls because most people felt that it was a woman's game. Events however, have proved this wrong because the game is now mostly played by men in Nigeria. More-over, the game is now played differently from how it was played in its earlier form. The mastery of the skills, the speed of the game and the accuracy involved give a new dimension to the game. The game has progressed from a slow, helter-skelter, bat-the-ball-over-the-net-at-any- cost game, to a deliberate, accurate, and exciting game.

Organized volleyball tournaments started in secondary schools in Oyo, Ogun and Ondo States of Nigeria in 1965. The

International school at Ibadan was very prominent in the game and had contributed a lot to the progress made in the game.

In Lagos territory, volleyball tournments were organized among

schools by the Lagos City Council Education Department. The donation of some trophies by Dr. S.L. Adesuyi in 1965 and Mrs. 108

C.T. Odulana in 1967 created a better awareness in the game among the secondary schools in Lagos. Dr. G.O. Sofoluwe attracted more attention from clubs by the donation of the club championship Cup in 1968.

In the former Western State (now Ogun, Oyo and Ondo

States) secondary school boys and girls vied for Ayeni and

Labiyi Cups respectively. During the annual tournaments, the

International School, Ibadan, Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure,

Baptist High School, Iwo, St. Louis Girls' Grammar School,

Ibadan, and Comprehensive High School, Aiyetoro were very out­ standing. The then Western State of Nigeria used to have its

State intermediate teams for boys and girls in those schools.

The first Nigerian National Volleyball Festival was held in 1972 at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan and Western State (Ogun,

Oyo, Ondo) won the championship. This was a turning point in the development of volleyball game in Nigeria for it was dur­

ing this competition that the Nigerian team was selected.

Among the outstanding players chosen to represent Nigeria in

the coming 2nd All Frica Games were Emmanuel Endeley, Taiwo

Noibi, Bola Yusufu, Adegboyega Abioye (the writer), Frederick

Agwufobi, Leke Oloyede, Mshelia, Lana, Ayodele and Olaosebikan.

In the 1973 Nigeria National Sports Festival held at the

National Stadium, Lagos, volleyball featured prominently.

Twelve states took part in these tournaments. Lagos State won

the first position. Western State (now broken into three states)

came second while Bendel State was third. Since this period,

the Nigerian National team had engaged in series of national 109 and international volleyball tournaments.

In the 2nd All Africa Games held in Lagos in 1973, Niger­ ian volleyball team did badly though the games were held in

Lagos, Nigeria. The bad performance of the Nigerian volley­ ball team at the games in Lagos gave a rethinking to those interested in the game and the National Association. In a bid to improve the standard of the game, the National Sports Com­ mission, a Body that caters for sports in the country, employed a Russian volleyball coach, Mr. Rustan Tserbaev who did a good job. He was however, impeded by language problems.

Apart from being good, any successful coach would need a good language understanding between him and his players the absence of which problem of imparting the essential skills and know­ ledge would be created.

More competitions were organized both at the school and club levels thereby improving the standard of the players.

The Nigerian volleyball team established itself in West Africa by becoming the zonal champion in the Pre-Olympic Africa Zone

4 Elimination Tournaments staged in Lagos, in March, 1975.

Three countries, Togo, Upper Volta and Nigeria battled for supremacy in this zonal championships. Nigeria's victory over

Togolese National team, the traditional champion of the zone, did not only break the monotony, but was considered as a laud­ able success. This success at the Zone 4 championships quali­

fied the Nigerian team to take part in the African Champion­

ships staged in Tunisia in March, 1976.

In 1975, the Nigerian Amateur Volleyball Association 110

(N.A.V.A.) widened its horizon in a bid to develop volleyball game. As part of its presentation for the XXIst Games of the

Olympiad, Montreal, 1976, the Nigerian National team played against the visiting team from the People's Republic of China

— Tientsin City in 1975. Other matches were played against the visitors in Lagos and Ibadan.

October, 1975 continued the new era in the field of vol­ leyball in Nigeria. The Nigerian Amateur Volleyball Associa­ tion (N.A.V.A.) called upon Mr. Joseph Adegboyega Abioye of the University of Ife, Nigeria (the writer) to coach the

Nigerian volleyball team in preparation for their tour of the

People's Republic of China. The following players were chosen to represent Nigeria: Anthony Ogbuma, the captain of team, Richard Obasogie, Felix Asemota, Taiwo Noibi, Suraju

Olajide, Sunday Enugunwogie, Mustapha Savage, Bola Yusufu, 32 Robert Ekemita, Michael Okoli, and Gregory Igbanoi.

The team which was led by four officials, the team

leader, Mr. S.I. Aina who was also the Chairman of the Niger­

ian Amateur Volleyball Association (N.A.V.A.); the team mana­

ger, Mr. 0. Oke; the coach Mr. J.A. Abioye and the Associa­

tion Secretary, Mr. S.O. Lawal left Nigeria for the People's

Republic of China on November 4, 1975. The team played three

matches in different cities of China before returning home.

They lost two matches and won one. The team again left Nigeria

for Italy in January, 1976 under coach Abioye to play in the

1976 Pre-Olympic Elimination series in Rome. The team was

however, eliminated but not disgraced. The Nigerian Ill volleyball team is now a side to be reckoned with in all ramifications of the game. The team had taken part in many international competitions such as the All England National

Championship and they had always proved their prowess in the competitions.

Lawn tennis was played among the elite because of the expensiveness of both the facilities and equipment. Only rich people who could afford the expensive outfits and the tennis racket were usually seen playing the game. These people formed themselves into clubs of multilateral activities making tennis one of the prominent games. It was common to find

Lagos Recreation Club, Ibadan Tennis Club, Osogbo Recreation

Club, Iwo Recreation, and Intellectual Social Club. One thing bound these recreation clubs together and that is the game of tennis. The early competitions in tennis were there­ fore among the recreation clubs in different towns and cities.

Presently, the game of tennis is played by both young and old, and especially by school boys in Nigeria. More clubs were formed and consequently more tournaments were held. For example, in 1961, the lawn tennis tournament was competed for as an associate event of the West African Games between Nigeria and Ghana and it ended in a draw. Nigeria won the doubles while Ghana won the singles. Championships are also held in this game among the states annually. Apart from the school

tennis competitions, the Nigerian Lawn Tennis Association is the main body responsible for the organization of competitions

throughout the country. There are branches all over the state 112 capitals.

Nigeria has produced very outstanding tennis players who had played in international games. When you talk about ten­ nis game in Nigeria, the names that will ring into your ears are Thompson Onibokun (now a principal coach in Oyo State

Sports Council); Lawrence Awopegba; and Ayodele Erinmilokun.

Some of the international lawn tennis championships Nigeria had taken part in are the British Open Circut; Stourbridge

Open Championships; Bournemouth Open Championships; Granleigh

Open Championships and Bognor Open Championships.

Other sports being played in Nigeria but which failed to

attract a lot of people are horse racing polo and golf. In

Lagos, horse raising was organized regularly and the major

competition was the Derby. Both Polo and Rugby games were

only played in Lagos, Ibadan, and Kaduna. 113

CHAPTER III

FOOTNOTES

1 Otonti Nduka, Western Education and the Nigerian Cul­ tural Background, (Ibadan; Oxford University Press, 1965), p. 1

2 Afolabi, lyiola. Assistant Sports Editor, The Punch, January 1, 1979, Vol. 3, p. 15.

3 Anani, Godwin, Daily Times of Nigeria, March 3, .1979, p. 19.

4 Nigeria Year Book, pp. 155-156.

5 Adedeji, J.A. The Role of Physical Education in the Nation Building of Nigeria, unpublished, Ohio State Univer­ sity, 1972, p. 90.

6 Olaipo Soile, "An Analysis and Evaluation of the Organi­ zational Structure and Policy of the Western State Sports Council," (unpublished Field Report for Certificate in Manage­ ment, January, 1971), pp. 10-11.

7 V.B.V. Powell, "Athletics in Nigeria— Post, Present, and Future," The Nigerian Teacher, No. 37, (June, 1958), p. 9.

8 Ibid.

9 Adedeji, John, op. cit.

10 Fafunwa, Bads A. History of Education in Nigeria, (London: George Allen Unwin, Ltd., 1974), pp. 92-95.

11 Ibid.

12 Powell, V.B.V., "The Development of Athletics in Nigeria," The Nigerian Sportsman, Vol. V., March, 1971, p. 12.

13 Powell, "Notes on the History of Athletics in Nigeria," p. 80. 114

Footnotes Cond't.

15 Adedeji, J.A., op. cit., p. 102.

16 Adedeji, J.A., op. cit., p. 107.

17 Powell, V.B.B., "The Development of Athletics in Nigeria," op. cit., p. 12.

18 Ogunbiyi, D.O., The Development of Nigeria's Partici­ pation in International Sport Competition and Its Effects on the Nation, (unpublished doctoral dissertation, O.S.U., 1978, p. 54.

19 "The Lagos Club," Lagos Standard, (January 24, 1906), p. 10.

20 The Sports Editor, The Lagos Weekly Record, (December 2, 1900), p. 3, and Lagos Standard, (August 12, 1902), pp. 4-5.

21 Adeniyi, Ayo, Oluyole '79, (August 30, 1979), p. 44.

22 Ibid.

23 Soile, 0., "Development of Boxing in Nigeria," Oluyole '79, (August 30, 1979), p. 40.

24 Nigeria Year Book, 1958, Sportsman of the Year, p. 259.

25 Ibid, p. 266.

26 Sports Editor, Lagos Weekly Record, Vol. XIII, No. 30, (April 11, 1903), p. 8.

27 Sports Editor, Lagos Standard, Vol. XI, No. 31, (April 26, 1905), p. 10.

28 Nigeria Year Book, 1954, Big Defeat, p. 125. 115

Footnotes Cond't.

29lbid, p. 127.

30 Nigeria Year Book For 1955, p. 183.

31 Op. cit., p. 127

32 Abioye, J.A., Coach's Note, December, 1975. CHAPTER IV

THE BIRTH OF THE NATIONAL SPORTS COMMISSION

Many attempts were made by sports lovers in Nigeria to create sports associations in such sports like track and field, soccer, cricket, hockey, and tennis. These attempts were hin­ dered by lack of finance and adequate personnel in the field of sports. These sports lovers believed in the importance of modern sports in the development of a nation. The white peo­ ple who introduced modern sports to Nigeria were greatly encour­ aged by the enthusiasm of the sports lovers and were willing to help in the development of sports. In the early part of

1944 however, some enthusiastic sportsmen gathered themselves together to discuss the possibility of forming an amateur ath­ letic association in the country. In their casual discussion, they agreed to inform other interested members about this pro­ posal to form the association. On March 11, 1944, the group met and formed what was known to be the first Amateur Athletic

Association of Nigeria (A.A.A.N.) in the capital city of the country— Lagos. With the inauguration of this association, definite aims were established. The aims were:

1. to encourage and promote amateur athletics.

2. to improve the management of athletic meetings by the establishment of uniform regulations, and

116 117

3. to promote whatever possible championship meetings or other competition, and to be responsible for the preparation of the ground selected for such meetings and for anything necessary for their pro­ per administration.

The people who were present at the inaugural meeting were the

late Captain D.H. Holley; S.O. Jolaoso; late L.J. Lewis, for­ mer C.M.S. Grammar School Principal; Captain E.A. Miller;

late Justice Luke Emejulu; T.E. Archiborg; late F.K. Butler,

former Inspector of Schools, Western Provinces; late H.A.

Clift, former Principal of King's College, Lagos; V.B.V.

Powell; R.G. Henderson, former Head of the Nigerian Police

Force; P.W. Price; N.S. Clouston, S.M. Oduba, T.B. Welch; H.J.

Ekperigin; and C. Wilson. The officers elected that day were

President, D.H. Holley; Secretary, V.B.B. Powell, and Assist­

ant Secretary, S.O. Jolaoso.

Fulfilling one of its objectives, the Amateur Athletic

Association of Nigeria organized its first All-Nigerian Cham­

pionship meeting at the Government College grounds, Ibadan

under the patronage of the Chief Commissioner for Western Pro­

vinces, Sir T. Chandos Hoslayns Abrahall on April 3 and 5, 1 1947. The competitors were encouraged by the award of medals

and certificates. All winners in the events were awarded

silver medals, and each member of the relay team received a

bronze medal, while all other participants were awarded certi­

ficates. Though, the association was mainly for the country,

its activities were not extended to other parts of Nigeria

until 1946. Then, the regional and provincial committees were

formed. There were about 139 registered members who worked 118 hard for the growth and development of athletics in the coun­ try.

All along, women were not actively involved in the orga­ nization of athletics though some school girls were already taking part in the local competitions. The Women Amateur Ath­

letic Association of Nigeria (W.A.A.A.N.) was formed in 1951

and Lady Macpherson was elected the President and Lady

Abayomi and Lady Alakija were elected the Vice-Presidents.

Mrs. J.R. Bunting was the Chairwoman, and Mrs. I. Fataiyi-

Williams was the Honorary Secretary. The second annual meet­

ing was held on the King's College Grounds on March 13, 1952.

Lady Alakija's Challenge Cup was won by the Methodist Girls

High School with 23^2 points, and the Lady Abayomi Trophy by

the Faji Girls' Club with 11 points.

1952 marked a definite stage in the progress of sports

in Nigeria. For the first time ever, a Nigerian team took

part in the Olympic Games. Under the able leadership of V.B.V.

Powell and S.O. Jolaoso, nine athletes including jumpers and

sprinters in Nigeria left the country in June to embark upon

a European tour, culminating in the 15th Olympiad at Helsinki.

These athletes were joined in England by a Nigerian athlete,

S.O. Williams whose ability and experience made him first 2 choice for captain. The team was away for two months during

which period they competed in a number of international meet­

ings, running and jumping against the cream of the world ath­

letes . The credit was for the hard work of the Amateur Athle-

ic Association (A.A.A.N.) of Nigeria which provided facilities 119 for training and coaching and generally organized the prepara­ tion of the team. More-over, the Nigerian Olympic and British

Games Association should be praised for raising the money.

Over £5,000 (now N10,000) or ($16,000) was collected and 3 spent.

The Olympic Games of 1952 served a good experience for the athletes. Apart from taking part in their events, the athletes were able to observe how world games were organized.

The Nigerian athletes learned sportsmanship, courage, and ability to mix on level terms with other nations which to them then counted more important than winning medals. From their contact with the world class athletes, they learned les­ sons that cannot be learned from books or teachers. Indeed, the athletes as well as the officials who accompanied them made use of their experience when they returned to Nigeria by teaching many other Nigerian athletes the styles they saw.

Talking about their performances, none of the athletes found his best form in Europe, largely because of the strange climatic and track conditions. Nigerian athletes were seeing and using the tartan track for the first time during the tour.

The only athlete who was outstanding was S.O. Williams who had been studying in London and more or less acclimatised but he too failed in Helsinki because of a pulled thigh muscle. He however, wom the long jump at several club meetings in Denmark and Finland in the match between the British Empire and U.S.A. and at the British Games. He had his best jump of 24'.7" and he also had the opportunity and distinction of beating J.C. 120

Biffle, the Olympic Champion. The most consitent sprinter was

T.A. Erinle, whose best time in the 100 meters was 10.5 seconds in Copenhagen.

Of the high jumpers, J.C. Majekodumi and H.B. Osagie were in the first 20 at Helsinki and in most of the important meet­ ings they took part in, they reached 6 ’.2" or 6'.3". J.O.

Majekodumi took the 9th position in the Helsinki Games why the

Nigerian relay team was 10th place in the 4 X 100 meters in the time of 41.9 seconds.

The work of the Amateur Athletic Association of Nigeria became extensive all over the country. The Association con­ trolled athletics all over Nigeria and it had a central commit­ tee which conducted its business. The central committee con­ sisted of the principal officers, members from the Regional committees, and nominated members from the police, education, and the Army. There were Colony, Eastern, Western, and North­ ern Regional Committees to look after the interests of the regions, a few Provincial Associations, and then the solid foundation of the clubs themselves more than 80 of which were affiliated.

In 1954, Nigeria was one of the twenty-four countries that took part in the Common Wealth Games held in Vancouver,

Canada. Nigeria had eleven sportsmen with two officials. The sportsmen consisted of nine athletes and two boxers and they were: S.O. Williams, captain of the team; K.A.B. Olowu, vice captain; T. Erinle, N.A. Arogundade, Peter Esiri, M.B. Osagie,

E. Ifeajuna, A.K. Amu, E.A. Ajado who are in athletics. Ado 121

Garuba and Garuba, Ide were boxers. The two officials were

Jack Farnsworth who was the Team Manager and H.J. Ekperigin

as the Assistant Team Manager and Coach. The team left Nigeria early enough to be used to the climate and environment in

Canada. They arrived at the Games Village on July 21, 1954 and were camped at the University of British Columbia.

The Game was officially opened by Field Marshall, the Rt.

Honorable, the Earl Alexander of Tunis who read the Queen's message. There were more than 25,000 spectators at the opening ceremony which took place at the 'Empire Stadium purposely built 4 for the Games' Nigerian athletes did excellently in the

Games and they excelled all other British Colonies that went for the Games. Nigeria won one gold, three silver, and three bronze medals. See Table 7.

Emmanuel Ifeajuna who won gold medal in the high jump event created sensation by clearing a height of 6'.7" to set up both the Games and the British Empire record, and "by clearing

the height with only one shoe on his left foot, making the right

foot bare."^ He caught the attention of all the spectators

at the stadium and most of the sports writers focussed their

attention on him. One of the official correspondents reported

the scene with these words:

....The men's high jump event will be long remembered— ....Nafiu Osagie and Emmanuel Ifeajuna (both) of Nigeria, and Patrick Eloly of Uganda, fought it out, inch by inch, for the final placings...The three beat the old record of 6'.6"...at 6'.7". Ifeajuna brushed the cross bar but it stayed on. It was then hoisted to 6'.8" for a new British Empire Record. Ifeajuna, age 19. who was only 5'6^2" tall, was thus attempting to jump 13H" above his own height. Something never before achieved in 122

TABLE 7

NIGERIA AT VANCOUVER GAMES, 1954

Names of Winner Events Medals Won

E. Ifeajuna High Jump Gold

P. Esiri Tripple Jump Silver

M.A. Arogundade

E.A. Ajado 4 X ICO yards relay Silver K.A.B. Olowu

A.K.O. Amu

K.A.B. Olowu Long Jump Silver

S.O.Williams Long Jump Bronze

N.B. Osagie High Jump Bronze

Garuba Ide Boxing (bantam weight) Bronze 123

athletic history. This Nigerian made his cat-like approach from the left hand side. In his take-off stride, his leading leg was flexed to an angle quite beyond anything ever seen but he retrieved position with a fantastic spring and soared upwards as if plucked by some external agency. He cleared the bar at his second attempt....®

Peter Esiri did not disappoint the hope of Nigeria in his

event— the triple jump. He placed second by jumping a dis­

tance of 50ft.0% inch with only one inch behind Kenneth Wilms

of England who won the gold medal. Thus,- Esiri won a Silver medal for Nigeria. In the long jump event, the vice captain,

K.A.B. Olowu finished second to win a Silver medal. He jumped

24ft. 3 inches. The Nigerian relay quartet did Nigeria proud

in the 4 x 100 yards relay race when they finished second by

clocking 41.3 seconds. They were: K.A.B. Olowu, A.K. Amu,

E. Ajado, and M.A. Arogundade. The other three bronze medals

were won in the long jump by the captain of the team, S.O.

Williams who jumped 23ft., 8h inches, in the high jump by N.B.

Osagie with a leap of 6 feet, 6% inches and in boxing under

the bantam weight division by Garuba Ide.

In the events where Nigerians did not win any medal, they

still performed better than before and created Nigeria and

West Africa national records. For example, A.K. Amu placed

sixth in the semi-finals of the 220 yards race with a time of

22.7 seconds. In the 100 yards, Edward Ajado created a sensa­

tion by beating H. Hogan of Australia, and Mefarlane of Canada

who were top sprinters with a record time of 9.7 seconds to

reach the finals. Ajado finished fourth in the finals. 124

Declaring the Games officially closed, the Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Sir Arthur Porrit said:

"...In the name of the British Empire and Common­ wealth Games, I proclaim the Fifth, British Empire and Commonwealth Games, Vancouver, 1954 closed, and in accordance with the tradition, I call upon the Youth of the Commonwealth to assemble in four years time in Wales, there to celebrate the Sixth British Empire and Commonwealth Games. May they display cheerfulness and concord, so that the spirit of our family of nations may be carried on with honour for the good of humanity and the peace of the world...

The Nigerian team returned to Nigeria by sea and got home on September 8, 1954. Two of the eleven athletes, did not go back to Nigeria, S.O. Williams, the captain of the team left

Canada for the United States of America to study Soil Mecha­ nics at Purdue University, and the vice captain, K.A.B. Olowu returned to complete his physical education course at Lough­ borough College, England. Back in Nigeria the atthletes were given a rousing welcome by thousands of sports lovers. They were highly honoured by the Amateur Athletic Association of

Nigeria and lovers of sports. In the following year, a calen­ der Almanac was printed in their honour with their pictures on it. Emmanuel Ifeajuna, who won a gold medal, and who created a new British Empire and Commonwealth record in high jump, was very prominent on the almanac. Most people believed that

Nigeria's participation in the Commonwealth Games of Vancouver was one of the most successful international competitions by

Nigerians in the Commonwealth Games. The success of these ath­

letes created a better awareness for sports in the minds of the youth. Everybody was prepared to sacrifice time for sports in order to represent Nigeria. 125

There was no wonder then why Nigeria sent forty-four athletes to the Sixth Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales in

July, 1958. The Cardiff Games were historical to Nigeria in certain respects. In the first place, this was the largest team Nigeria ever entered since taking part in the Common­ wealth Games in 1950. Secondly, it was the first time Nigeria entered female athletes into the Games. Thirdly, Nigeria entered two swimmers for the first time, Horace Kantu and J.

Ofongo.

Nigeria's forty-four athletes were made up of track and field athletes, boxers and swimmers. They were led by V.B.V.

Powell who was the Team Manager; S.O. Jolaoso, the team secre­ tary and treasurer; O.A. Omololu, team patron; Col. Willis was the boxing team manager; K.A.B. Olowu was the captain of the male team while Floritta lyo was the captain of the female athletes. At Cardiff, the contingent was housed at St. Athens p in Cardiff which was the Games Village for the athletes.°

The Nigerian team did not do as well as expected parti- culary in swimming and boxing. It was a complete disappoint­ ment in swimming because none of the swimmers did well in the priliminary heats. This was because they were inexperienced in international competitions. In boxing however, Gbadegesin

Salawu of Nigeria beat D. Bekker of South Africa to win a bronze medal in the heavy weight class.

Jimmy Omogbemi made a good impression in the 100 yards event by qualifying for the semi-final, J. Chigbolu narrowly missed a medal by coming in fourth in the high jump with a 126 leap of 6 feet, 6 inches, V.O. Odofin was in the finals of the long jump event but did not win a medal. Other athletes who did very well were R.A. Arogundade (440 yards), B.A.

Agbebiyi (880 yards), L.I. Ogbogu, and P.O.C. Ozieh in shot put and javelin respectively.

In the women's events, V. Odogu, A. Okoli (now Mrs. A.

Okpaloka), and F. lyo made good attempts in the high jump event which was won by an 18 year-old Donaghy of New Zealand.

See Table 8.

The Nigerian contingent returned home with only two medals and lovers of sports were disapointed. They had expected a better performance from the athletes. In the official report submitted by the officials to the Amateur Athletic Association of Nigeria, they expressed the fact that the athletes, parti­ cularly the swimmers and the women athletes, were learners in

international competitions:

....Not to deceive ourselves, we must be frank, our women athletes were young in international sports, they were learning. We did not expect medals from them...And to our swimmers, the two of them went to learn and improve on their past performances and this they have done, not with less alacrity... We are satisfied they have both done their best and what they need now is huge encouragement to prepare them for the greater future...9

Nigeria did not take part in the 1962 Perth West Australia

Games because of some administrative problems but took part in

the Kingston, Jamaica Games in August, 1966. Nigerian athle­

tes prepared vigorously for the Eighth Commonwealth Games in

Jamaica, and Nigeria entered 28 sportsmen and sportswomen.

They consisted of nineteen athletes of thirteen men and six 127

TABLE 8

NIGERIA AT CARDIFF GAMES, 1958

Name of Winners Events Medals Won

T. Obi

J. Omogbemi 4 X 100 yards relay Silver V. Odofin

S. Akraka

Gbadegesin Salawu Boxing (heavy weight) Bronze 128 women, six boxers, and three swimmers. Among these athletes were Sam Igun, Augustin Utti, Jaiye Abidoye, Fatai Ayinla,

Ronke Akindele, Violet Odogwu, 0. Adekunle, David Ejoke, S.

Asiodu, K. Agbabokha, E. Ndukwu, and N. Maiyegyn.^^

The team officers for the contingent were, Chinwuba as the team manager, Awoture Eleyae and Jimmy Omogbemi as the track and field coaches, Hogan Bassey as the boxing coach,

R. Watts as swimming Coach, Dr. A.A. Efunkoya as the team physician, and Lt. Col. M. Okwechire, the National Sports Coun­ cil representative.

The opening of the Games was shifted to six o'clock because of the hot afternoon weather. Over 30,000 spectators watched the opening ceremonies performed by the Duke of Edin­ burgh, who read the Queen's message. The Nigerian athletes added to the colorful ceremonies with their traditional national robes with green hats. They were given an ovation by the spectators.

The team performed well in the Jamaica Games and they won ten medals— three gold, four silver, and three bronze. Pro­ bably, the favorable weather of the Carribean Islands which is very similar to Nigerian weather helped the athletes. Sam

Igun (police officer and team's captain) set a new Games record in the tripple jump by jumping a distance of 53 feet,

inches. He was closely followed by another Nigerian George

Organ (medical doctor).,who jumped 52 feet, 93s inches to claim the second position. The same Sam Igun won a silver medal in the high jump event when he sailed over the bar at the height 129 of 6 feet, 8 inches. K Agbabokha clinched a silver medal in the 440 uards events by finishing second place with the time of 51.5 seconds. This event was won by K. Roche of Australia at 51 seconds dead.

The 100 yard race was the most exciting and most contro­ versial event of the Games. This race collected the great and reknowned athletes of the Commonwealth of Nations. Forty- eight runners took part in the first round of heats in which

Nigeria fielded its four fastest sprinters. David Ejoke, one of the fastest sprinters Nigera has ever produced in the

100 yard race, won his heat in 9.9 seconds. 0. Adekunle did well in Heat 4 and placed third with a time of 10 seconds;

0. Peters took part in Heat 7 and was placed fourth with a time of 10.4 seconds; S.O. Asiodu ran in Heat 8 and also placed third in 9.9 seconds.

The second round heat was a survival of the fittest.

David Ejoke ran in Heat 2 placing third with the time of 9.8

seconds and S.O. Asiodu in Heat 3 also clocked 9.8 seconds to place third. Neither O. Adekunle nor 0. Peters qualified.

The semi-final race was even tougher than the previous heats.

Every athlete was now fully determined to qualify for the final

race. In the semi-final of the race, Ejoke of Nigeria returned

a fast time of 9.5 seconds to place third behind H. Jerome of

Canada, and R. Robinson of Bahamas, S. Asiodu of Nigeria

returned a time of 9.7 seconds in his Heat 2 and did not qua­

lify for the final race. Thus, only David Ejoke of Nigeria

qualified for the final race, this race was a very controversial 130 one as all the six finalists clocked a record time of 9.5 seconds. Describing the situation. The Times of London wrote:

....David Ejoke was awarded a silver medal. E. Roberts of Trinidad received bronze and H. Jerome Canada won the gold. It took the judges about 40 minutes studying photo-finishing before the race could be awarded to Canada's Harry Jerome H

The 220 yards took similar steps with fifty-three runners participating in the race. As usual David Ejoke won his race in the first heat in 21.7 seconds; s. Asiodu was second in 21.9 in his heat to qualify while both 0. Adekunle and Peters did not qualify. Thus eight athletes (two of them Nigerians) qua­ lified for and ran the final. At the end of the race, David

Ejoke of Nigeria won a third position to clinch the bronze medal with a time of 20.7 seconds. This time of 20.7 seconds equaled the previous Games record set in 1958 by Robinson of the Bahamas. Sam Allotey of Ghana won the first position in

20.7 seconds to secure a gold medal.

The name of the Nigerian girl, Violet Odogwu (now Mrs.

Nwajei) will ever be remembered in the history of Nigerian sports. She made history in the Jamaican Games in the long jump event when she did 20 feet, 2h inches to place third for a bronze medal. History was made because Violet Odogwu became the first Africian woman to ever win a medal in the history of the Commonwealth Games and the first girl in Africa to ever jump that distance in the event.12

Nigeria boxers did well in the Games winning two gold medals, one silver and one bronze. E. Ndukwu won a gold medal by knocking out his opponent, Darry Norwood of Australia in 131 the bantam weight class. A. Andeh and Fatai Ayinla won gold and silver medals respectively in the light and heavy weight dividions. Najim Maiyegun, the captain of the boxing team won a bronze medal in the middle weight class. See Table 9.

Nigeria was very proud of the performances of the athle­ tes at the Jamaica Games. The news travelled over the media in Nigeria before the contingent even arrived. The news papers, radio and television network carried the good news. Everybody was happy and proud. The government officials made elaborate plans to welcome the worthy ambassadors of sports on their arrival to Lagos, Nigeria. Early morning of Wednesday, August

17, 1966, very important personalities like Major Mobolaji

Johnson (then Military Administrator of Lagos), Mr. S.O.

Williams, Chairman, A.A.A. of Nigeria, Mr. T.A. Erinle and Dan

Enajakpo, were already at the airport to receive the contin­ gent. From the airport, the athletes were enthusiastically cheered on their way to the Nigerian Police Officers Mess at

Onikan. They were driven in a procession through the main streets of Lagos led by outriders. This was to show how

appreciative the Nigerians were to the worthy sports ambassa­ dors. At the Nigerian Police Officers Mess, the athletes were praised for their performances at the Commonwealth Games. The

success of Nigerian team in these Games served as an incentive

to both the athletes and the government of Nigeria. The Niger­

ian government was now more determined than ever to support

sports and see to its development. On the other hand, the

athletes promised to be more dedicated to sports than before 132

TABLE 9

TABLE OF MEDALS WON BY NIGERIA IN THE 1966 KINGSTON JAMAICA GAMES

Name of Winners Events Medals Won

S.I. Igun Tripple Jump Gold

E. Ndukwu Boxing-Bantam weight Gold

A. Andeh Boxing-Light weight Gold

K, Agbabokha 400m hurdles (men) Silver

G. Ogan Tripple Jump Silver

D . Ej oke 100 yards (men) Silver

F. Ayinla Boxing-Heavy weight Silver

D. Ejoke 220 yards (men) Bronze

V . Odogwu Long Jump (women) Bronze

N. Maiyegun Boxing-Middle weight Bronze 133 while the on coining athletes were spurred into increased

action and renewed interest.

Effects of the Civil War on Sports;

The period immediately after the Kingston Jamaica Games was a trying time for Nigeria. There was once again great unrest among the army that was then ruling Nigeria. Emeka

Ojukwu who was the Military Governor of the then Eastern State made it absolutely plain that he would not accept Gowon's

elevation to the post of Supreme Commander. Gowon had been

nominated by the Army as the Supreme Military Commander of the

Armed Forces and the Head of State after the second coup in

which the former Head of State, General Agui Ironsi was killed.

The contention of Ojukwu was that Ogundipe, another Army Officer

was senior to Gowon and that he too (Ojukwu) was a senior offi­

cer to Gowon and that he could not take order from his junior

officer. This led to sporadic outbursts of violence in the

army which caused many unpleasant incidents in the country.

This led to the thirty months Nigerian Civil War which ended

on January 21, 1970.

The Civil War damped the enthusiasm of the Nigerian athle­

tes and could not prepare accurately for the national and inter­

national competitions. For the athletes who wanted to train

hard, there was no equipment for training because the Military

government had already banned importation of any goods into

the country. Nigeria, now faced with the Civil War, was try­

ing to preserve its economy. Those who were training for 134 competition did so at their own interest because the war was on and there was no peace of mind all over the country.

In spite of the Civil War, Nigeria still took part in the

Ninth Commonwealth Games held in Edinburgh, Scotland from

July 16-25, 1970. In these games, forty-two countries includ­ ing eleven African countries took part. Scotland made an ela­ borate plan for the Games. The sum of over four million Bri­ tish pounds (8 million Nigeria Naira) was spent on the provi­ sion of modern facilities for the Games. The Meadowbank Sports

Center constructed at a cost of 2.4 million pounds (4.8 mil­ lion Naira) was the venue for the opening and closing of the

Games, and also the site for athletics,badminton, cycling, fencing, and wrestling. The Royal Commonwealth Pool, a pro­ ject of an Edinburgh Coporation at a cost of 1.6 million pounds

(3.2 million Naira) was the venue for the swimming and diving events.Other facilities prepared for the Games were Murray

Field Ice Rink, lawn bowls on the balgreen, weight lifting in the Leith Town Hall, and a highly sophisticated electronic timing equipment provided by Omega at a cost of thirty thou­

sand pounds (60 thousand naira), together with electronic

equipment capable of separating competitors only 1,000th of a

second apart.

Nigeria sent a contingent of forty-five athletes and

officials to the Games. This number included 23 athletes of

which six were women; 11 boxers and 11 officials. The eleven

officials were. Col. H.E.O. Adefope, the Commandant; S.O.

Jolaoso, M.B.E., general team manager; A.A. Ordia, secretary/ 135 treasurer; Dr. A.A. Efunkoya, team doctor; Dr. Awoture Eleyae and George Dibia as the athletic coaches; Miss Tonis Ahabue, chaperon; E.L. Jegede, boxing team manager; and Hogan Bassey

M.B.E., boxing team coach.

Before the contingent left Lagos on June 20, 1970 for

Edinburgh, they were addressed by Chief Anthony Enahoro, the then Federal Commissioner for Information and Labour. The fare well address delt with the situation in the country then and how most of the athletes received little or no attention during training as a result of the Civil War which had just ended. Chief Enahoro, among other things said:

"...This year, we are sending to the Games a modest contingent— modest in terms both of their number and of our expectations. In the present circum­ stances of our country and of sports development in Nigeria, the situation could not be otherwise... Most of you have to make your private arrangements for training..."15

It was true that Nigerians' expectation about the athletes' performances was modest for Nigerian team did not win up to one quarter of the medals they won in the Jamaica Games. The track

and field athletes did not win any medal. The two gold medals won were from boxing. However, the athletes showed a marked

improvement in their performances. The short time training

they had on the very adequate facilities in Edinburgh helped

the athletes in their performances. It stood to reason then

that if they had had the opportunity to train hard before they

left Nigeria, the athletes would have performed better than

they did at the Jamaica Games.

In the men's 100 meters, Majekodunmi ran in Heat 5 136 and placed second in 10.6 seconds while K. Abdullai ran in

Heat 7 and won in 10.3 seconds. The two sprinters got to the semi-final of the race with 10.2 and 10.3 seconds respectively before they were eliminated.^® In the 200 meters. Ore Odelusi ran in Heat 1 and clocked 21.6 seconds while 0. Peters clocked

22.7 seconds in Heat 8. It was only Odelusi who qualified for the next round before he too was eliminated at the semi-finals of the race. M.Makama did 47.0 seconds, Egwunyang did 47.4 seconds and Dogo-Yaro ran his in 4 7.6 seconds in the 400 meters race.

In the women's events, Modupe Oshikoya competed in the

Pentathlon as one of her events. She jumped. 1.69 meters (5 feet

6 inches) in the Pentathlon high jump, to place her fourth.

This was an impressive performance.

Nigerian boxers have always done well in their interna­ tional engagements. Fatai Ayinla and Abayomi Adeyemi under light-heavy weight and light weight classes respectively each won a gold medal.

To qualify for the final, Fatai Ayinla defeated P. Parker and G. Espie of North Ireland and in the semi-final, he beat

V. Attivor of Ghana leaving a deep cut on his opponent's left eye. In the final, he fought and defeated D.O. Wright of

Jamaica to win the gold medal. His counterpart, Abayomi

Adeyemi who also won a gold medal defeated W. Kniyogali of

Tanzania, Nwansa of Zambia, and K.N. Nbogwa of Kenya to go into the final. In the final, he defeated Johan Gillan of Scot­ land for the light weight title. 137

The result of the boxing tournaments upheld the belief that Nigeria is a country of potential boxers. Boxing has always been the saving grace of Nigeria in any competition.

The boxing team has always been a well disciplined one even during training. After the Edinburgh Games, the Nigerian boxing team was invited to a boxing tournament in North Ireland. In Ire­ land, there were six bouts out of which Nigeria won four.

Sports After the Civil War;

The Civil War was over and everybody was back into active

life with sports now flourishing all over the country. The

Milirary Government was in full support of sports and they

used it to reunite the scattered Nigerians as a result of the

Civil War. The First All Nigeria Sports Festival was held in

Lagos, the capital city of the country in 1972. This will be

delt with in later chapter. More-over, Nigeria hosted the 2nd

All Africa Games in 1973 in Lagos, Nigeria. In these Games,

which will be discussed later, Nigeria did very well. These

excellent performances of Nigerian athletes influenced the size

of the contingent sent to the Tenth Commonwealth Games in New

Zealand in 1974. There were 78 people in the contingent that

went to New Zealand for the tenth games. It was composed of

12 members of the National Sports Commission Staff headed by

Colonel H.E.Oi Adefope as the Commandant; 11 sports observers

from the N.S.C. and the S.S.C.; and 44 competitors. The com­

petitors included 33 track and field men and women, 10 boxers and one swimmer. Five track and field officials and three

boxing officials were also in the contingent. 138

In the New Zealand Games, more than 1,700 sportsmen and sportswomen from 34 Commonwealth countries took part in nine different sports. The Nigerian athletes were well prepared for the Games. They were coached by both indigenous and foreign coaches. The coaches were J.O. Ogunmakinde, now the Director of Sports, Ondo State Sports council, 0. Omolabi, now the Assistant Director of Sports, Oyo State Sports, Coun­ cil, A.A. Olubo, C. Mazi, G. Putcha, Bob Radi, G. Fatunwase,

P. Anukwa, Regina Okafor and Ronke Akindele now Mr. Eyinade.

The boxers were coached by Hogan Bassey and Santos Martins.

The group left Nigeria for Christchurch on January 12, 1974 for the Games which lasted from January 24 to February 2, 1974.

On the whole, Nigeria performed much better than it did in the 1970 Games. This was expected however because every preparation was made for the Games. The highlight of the

Games was the spectacular performance of a . Nigerian female athlete, Modupe Oshikoya, age nineteen. She made history for

Nigeria, herself and the Commonwealth Games in the women's long jump event by jumping 6.46 meters (21 feet, 23$ inches) to win a gold medal. She took part in the women's five-event pentathlon made up of 100 meters hurdles, shotput, high jump, long jump, and 200 meters, and scored a total of 4,423 points 17 in the events. In the 100 meters hurdles Oshikoya was declared the best 'all-round African female athlete at the

Games,' captured a bronze medal as she finished third with a 18 time of 13.7 seconds. The news of Modupe Oshikoya's 139 brilliant performance was relayed all over the radio and television net-works of Nigeria. Everybody was happy and praises were showered on the girl. Commenting on Oshiloya's wonderful showing in the New Zealand Games, Tayo Adetola, a versatile writer in Nigeria Daily Times said;

....For sometime now. Dupe Oshikoya's name has become a household word in the field of sports. She has done so well, both at home and abroad, that we can't but notice her importance in this field. More recently at the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, she set another record by being the only African woman compe­ titor to win a gold medal, and the one from the con­ tinent of Africa to win a total of three medals...19

As usual, the boxing team did very well as expected.

They won six medals made up of two gold, two silver, and two bronze. The gold medals were won by 0. Nwapa, light weight and E. Molukwu, feather weight. The two silver medalists were

Fatai Ayuinla, heavy weight and K. Amah in the light weight while the two bronze medals were won by Isaac Ikhoria in heavy weight clasë- and S. Ishola in fly weight. The remaining four boxers who did not win any medal were not disgraced either.

They performed well and got to the quarter finals. See Table

10.

The 1978 Commonwealth Games met with political conflict.

The African countries refused to take part in the Eleventh Com­ monwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada. The Commonwealth heads

of government in their meeting held in London in June, 1977

tried to persuade African countries and New Zealand to settle

their differences on sports relations. African had threatened

to boycott the nine day Games and the heads of government felt 14 0

TABLE 10

MEDALS WON IN THE 1974 GAMES IN CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND

Name of Winners Events Medals Won

Modupe Oshikoya Long Jump (women) Cold

Edet Ndukwu Boxing-Feather weight Cold

Obisia Nwapka Boxing-Light welter weight Cold

Modupe Oshikoya Pentathlon Silver

Kajin Armah Boxing-Light weight Silver

Fatai Ayinla Boxing-Heavy weight Silver

Modupe Oshikoya 100m Hurdles Bronze

S. Ishola Boxing-Fly weight Bronze

R.S. Oyebami

K. Abdullai 4 X 100 meters, relay Bronze 0. Alani i

B . Maj elodunmi 141

that if the threat was allowed to be carried out, it could sound the "death knell" of the greatest sports meeting outside of the Olympics. To seal the hope of the African countries taking part in the Games, the All-Africa Games was fixed in

Algiers from July 13 to 28, 1978 with only five days separat­ ing the closing ceremony of All-Africa Games and the Common­ wealth Games opening cermony in Canada. It is hoped that things will be remedied before the 1982 Games in Queensland,

Australia.

Organization of Soccer Games;

Though soccer was and still is the premier sport in

Nigeria, the Nigerian Football Association was not founded until 1945. Earlier on, football was only organized by inter­

ested individuals and groups. The game was quickly picked up

by boys and they could be seen playing it extensively during

school breaks, after school hours on the school playgrounds

and in many available open spaces in the parts of the towns

and villages. It was common to see boys organizing soccer

competitions at area level on their own. That is one area of

the town or village would challenge another area for a foot­

ball match. The referee for that type of match was usually

chosen from the area of the town not taking part in the game.

In the early 1930's Mulford presented a Cup which was

preliminarily for the teams in Lagos and which later turned

to be competed for by the nation. Teams from the Provinces—

East, West, and North started to participate in the national 142 competitions. The first teams from the Provinces that joined the competition were Ibadan, Warri and Port Harcourt. Later on, one team from northern Nigeria, the Plateau Club of Jos, joined the competition- Eventually, the Governor's Cup, as it was known, was changed to the Challenge Cup of Nigeria.

The pioneers of the Nigeria Football Association (N.F.A.) were A.G. Mashall (Chairman), P.A. Courtney, Pious Anthony, and E.E. Eflok (Vice Chairman), R.B. Allen (Honorary Secretary/

Treasure), and Father D.J. Slatery (Ass't. Secretary/Treasure).

One representative was chosen in each of the member associations.

The Association's original function was mainly to organize the

Governor's Cup Competitions. As more clubs joined the N.F.A.,

the functions and aims of the association expanded. The aims and objectives were;

1. To foster love and friendship among Nigerian football players and promote social and liter­ ary activities such as picnics, lectures, and so on.

2. To turn out efficient referees from retired players.

3. To bring grievances of the Nigerian football players to the notice of committee and dis­ trict Amateur Football Association.

4. To sponsor national and international compe­ titions within the jurisdiction of the Associ­ ation.19

The first president of the association, Mr. P.H. Cook, a Scots­

man was appointed in 1951.

The work of the football pioneers will not be complete

without touching the first international football engagement

they enbacked upon. In 1949, the Nigeria Football Association 143

(N.F.A.) accepted an invitation to send a football team to

England. The football team was to tour and play many clubs in England. The news was received with enthusiasm by lovers of the game. And so, in 1949, about fourteen members of the

Nigerian Football Association left the shore of Nigeria for

Great Britain. These players were given the title "U.K.

Tourists." This was the first time ever that any Nigerian

football team played outside the country. Though the team

lost most of the games played, they were not at all disgraced.

These players were the late Tesilimi Balogun, (alias Thun­

derbolt because of his thunderous shots); Isaac A. Akioye

(now the Director of Sports, National Sports Commission, and

goalkeeper); Ibiam Anieke, another goalkeeper; Dokubo; Baba

Shittu; Titus Okere; Dankaro; Dan Anyiam; B. Anieke; 0. Okari;

P. Okochi; 0. Okonosibo; 0. Owudiwe; and B . Makida. The

efforts of these players must be praised because all of them

played in bare feet against their oppenents wearing football

boots. They lost most of their matches narrowly and even won

two matches during the tour.

The team was given a rousing welcome home at their arri­

val. All lovers of soccer were eager to see these heroes and

to share with them the experiences gained overseas. In fact

it was an inspiration to all younger players in the country

for many soccer clubs sprang up in the later years. The

Nigerian Football Associaiton expanded very rapidly with more

clubs affiliating to it. Nigeria was now in control of the

soccer scene along the west coast of Africa, especially in 144 the annual tournaments with Gold Coast (now Ghana).

Football continued to command a large following all over the country and could rightly claim to be the national game.

The Pan Bank football club of Lagos became very outstanding.

Dynamos team was also good winning the Lagos league matches in 1953. The hope of Dynamos winning the year's Governor's

Cup was shattered by the less fancied Kano team. Thus for the first time ever, the premier football trophy of Nigeria 20 went out of Lagos.

Now that more clubs were formed all over the country, the original main function of the Nigeria Football Associa­ tion (N.F.A.), which was to organize the Governor's Cup Com­ petition changed. At the end of 1953 there were forty-four

Member Associations, dividied into four Regions, as follows:

1. North: Maiduguri, Plateau Province, Minna, Zaria, Katsina, Kaduna, Kafanchan, Gusau, and Gwandu.

2. East; Cameroons Plantations Victoria Division— (Cameroon was then part of Nigeria), Calabar District, Abak, Benue, Ogoja Province, Bendel Division, Owerri Division, Enugu, Onitsha Dis­ trict, Port Harcourt, Aba District and Eket Division.

3. West: Warri, Ijaw Division, Owo District, Ijesha Division, Oshogbo District, Kabba Province, Ogbo- mosho, Llorin, Oyo Division, Abeokuta, Ijebu- Ode, Remo District, Benin, Spaele, Ibadan Dis­ trict, Ijebu-Igbo and Ishan Division.

4. Lagos : Army Garrison, Lagos District, Badagry Division and Nigeria Players W e l f a r e . 21

The Nigeria Governor's Cup competition attracted more attention than any other sporting contest in the country. In obscure villages, small towns and in the larger capitals. 145 record■crowds have filled the local arenas and the vast sta­ diums. Describing the popularity of the game, the Daily

Times sports editor wrote;

....The magnetic attraction that this Cup has on the sporting public is shown by the record returns in the National Semi-Finals and Final held at the spacious King George V. Stadium at Onikan, L a g o s . 22

Unfortunately, the number of spectators for both the semi-finals and the final was not given. However, the King

George V. Staduim, Onikan, Lagos was not a very big one.

The Cup final was indeed a memorable occasion, as the trophy was taken away from Lagos for the first time in foot­ ball history of Nigeria, by the wonder tean from the North,

Kano. At the end of the full official time, no goals were scored, but in the over time, there was excitement enough to last a life time. Within a few minutes, Omoregbe had cracked home a terrific shot for Kano. This goal was quickly followed by another amazing one by Vincent Nzeli, the Kano Captain. A loan goal by the National "star" Thunder Balogun (now of blessed memory) was all the Dynamos could reply, and so the

Cup went to the north.

In the mid 1950's, Nigeria started to relax its efforts

in the field of soccer. The international matches played

against Ghana, which was an annual event, were disappointments

to Nigerians. Ghana was always defeating Nigeria both at

home and away. The worst of this competition was when Ghana

disgraced Nigeria's soccer team at Accra. After this defeat,

Nigeria Football Association and other lovers of soccer met 146 and planned for the future. Among other things began a talent hunt for soccer players. More-over, it was agreed upon that the Nigerian soccer team must be camped for at least two weeks ever before the engagement in any international game.

Usually, Nigeria used to rake a few outstanding players together hurriedly to play international matches. This was becuase there was no money to finance camping of the players as government support was very minimal.

By 1957, the national sport-football— was at its peak.

There were more competitions organized ranging from the inter­ district to inter-territorial matches. "And for the first time in the history of West African soccer, a junior international between Nigeria and Ghana was held." The junior interna­ tional is the annual soccer match between the selected high school players of Nigeria and Ghana. The main purpose of the competition was to strengthen the bond of friendship between the two countries. For Nigeria, another objective was to pre­ pare the young players to assume the role of playing in the senior international matches.

The most significant achievement by the Nigeria Football

Association was the drawn match of three-three with Ghana at

Accra. The team was led to Ghana by Leslie Courtier, a coach hired from Britain after the nation had been beaten by 7-0 by

the Ghana Black Star. The team nearly defeated Ghana on their

ground before the draw was forced. The team was made up of

Sam Ibiam, L. Ogbolu, E. Anakwe (Captain), J. Imade, Dan

Okoroji, G. Offoli, I. Ijomah, A. Onyeanwuna, 0. Daniel, H. 147

Ejoh, and Patriot Noquapor who was outstanding on the team.^^

The N.F.A. had a remarkable history in 1959 when Nigeria was accepted as a participating country for the 1960 Olympic

Games football competition. In the same year, the N.F.A. was invited by the Federation of International Football Associa­ tions (F.I.F.A.) to enter for the next World Cup competition to be held in 1962. Nigeria, being one of the sponsoring countries for a West African Soccer Federation, was offered suitable eminence on the governing body of the West African

Soccer Association which consisted of ten other West African countries. There was a noticeable decline in the standard of soccer in the Federal Territory because players relented their efforts but there was in contrast a great deal of improvement in the Regions. Most conspicuous progress was in the Western

Region (now Ogun, Oyo, and Ondo States) which for the first time won the Challenge Cup Trophy.

The Nigerian Football Association was faced with some problems, such as finance because the N.F.A. was run without any grant from the Federal Government, and the dearth of coaches. However y the association was able to make some achievements. Putting it in a modest way, the sports writer of the year wrote;

....Our achievements were few: We beat the Fortune Duesseldorf touring team in August, Ghana in the first leg of the Olympic Games soccer preliminaries and the Dahomey side in the preliminaries of Kwame Nkrumah Gold Cup West African Championships. ..25

In fact, the Nigerian National Football Team called the

"Red Devils" (now called the Green Eagles) played seven 148 international games in 1959 against the German Club side, three times against Ghana, once against Germany; twice against

Dahomey and once against Egypt. They won four: Fortune

Duesseldof of German 3-1; Ghana 3-1; Dahomey 1-0 and 10-1.

They lost three: twice to Ghana 1-4 and 2-5, and to Egypt 2-6.

The Nigeria Referees Association (N.R.A.) was also making some progress in officiating. For the first time, two Niger­ ians were given the opportunity to referee full international matches. They were Mr. B.J. Oni, who refereed the West Afri­ can Football Championships between Dahomey and Ghana, and Mr.

Sannie Badru, who was accorded recognition by F.I.F.A. and admitted to the Neutral Referees Association. He refereed the match between Uganda and Sudan. Thus, he became the first 2 g Nigerian to referee in the Olympic series.

There were numerous soccer clubs all over Nigeria and matches were played almost everyday in one town, or another.

There were competitions for cups donated locally and nation­ ally. Apart from these series of national competitions,

Nigeria also engaged in international matches. The year 1960,

the year of Nigeria's Independence, was a very busy one for

the Nigeria Football Association. Many international and

national matches were played. The West African Games was

organized for the Kwame Nkrumah Gold Cup. Nigeria, Ghana, the

Mali Federation and Portuguese Guinea reached the semi-finals

of the competition. Nigeria beat the Portuguese Guinea 4-1

in the semi-final played at the National Stadium, Surulere.

Ghana defeated Mali Federation 5-1 in another semi-final 149 played at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan on the same day. These two matches were played on October 1, 1960 which is Nigeria's

Independence Day. Later, Ghana beat Nigeria 3-0 in the final to win the Gold Cup.

Other matches played in the same year were;

a) May 11, 1960, the English First Division foot­ ball team, Blackpool, defeated Nigeria 3-1 at the King George V. Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria. The visitors also played against the Western Rovers whom they beat 4-2.

b) August 28, 1960, Nigeria lost to Ghana 1-4 in the first leg of the World Cup preliminaries (African sub-zone) played at the Accra Sports Stadium.

c) September 10, 1960, Ghana forced Nigeria to a 2-2 draw in the second leg of the same prelimi­ naries played at the King George V Stadium, Lagos.

d) October 29, 1960, Nigeria forced Ghana to a 2-2 draw in the annual international football compe­ tition between the two countries for the new Independence Cup which replaced the former Jalco Cup.

In the local matches played. Logos Electricity Corpora­ tion of Nigeria (E.C.N.) now Nigeria Electricity Power Autho­ rity (N.E.P.A.) retained the Mulford Cup for the second year

running when they beat Post and Telegraph (P and T) Lagos, 6-0

in the final of the competition played at King George V Sta­

dium, Lagos. Ports Authority won the Lagos senior division

league trophy by topping the league table with 34 points.

They were followed by the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria

(E.C.N. now N.E.P.A.) who scored 28 points. Railway came

third with 27 points; Police 4th with 25 points; Public Works

Department (P.W.D.) fifth with 19 points; Federal United sixth

with 17 points; United African Company (U.A.C.) seventh with 150

13 points; W.A.A.C. eighth with 9 points; Army ninth with 7 points and Casuals tenth with 1 point.

Stationery Stores won the Chairman's Cup by beating

Gottschalck 2-1 in the final of the cup-tie. In Western

Nigeria (now Ogun, Oyo, and Ondo States) the Sports Council organized a soccer festival at the Liberty Stadium. At the festival. Northern, Western and Lagos teams played under flood-light. The Eastern teams did not participate in the festival. This soccer festival actually helped the country to have a better understanding of soccer. Unfortunately, after the soccer festival of 1962, none was organized again.

All the States associations were formed and well estab­ lished under the umbrella of the Nigerian Football Association.

There were Nigeria Football Association; Eastern Nigeria

Council of the Nigerian Football Association; Western Nigeria

Council of the Nigeria Football Association; Northern Nigeria

Council of the Nigeria Association, Mid-Western Nigeria Coun­ cil of the Nigeria Football Association and Lagos Amateur

Football Association. More-over, Amateur Football Associa­ tions were formed in most town throughout the country. It was common then to find in many towns associations like Ibadan

District Amateur Football Association (I.D.A.F.A.), Abeokuta

District Amateur Football Association (A.D.A.F.A.), Oyo Dis­

trict Amateur Football Association (O.D.A.F.A.), Iwo District

Amateur Football Association (I.D.A.F.A.), Oshogbo District

Amateur Football Association (O.D.A.F.A.), Zaria District Ama­

teur Football Association (Z.D.A.F.A.), Benin District Amateur 151

Football Association (B.D.A.F.A.)» and Enugu District Amateur

Football Association (E.D.A.F.A.). Ail these associations begin their names with the first letters of the names of the towns.

Formation of Other Associations;

Other games also received attention from those v^o played them and clubs were formed for table tennis, lawn tennis, cri- ket, boxing, field’ hockey, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, handball, and swimming.

The table tennis association was formed in January 9,

19 51 with the headquarters in Lagos. Regional headquarters were also situated in Ibadan, Enugu, Benin and Kaduna. The early pioneers of this game were Alagbala, J. Alaba Vaughan,

M. Oduntan, Mrs. Mabel Segun, Miss Mulikat Shasore (now Mrs.

Ogunbiyi), Miss Ramonu and Modupe Beyioku. Since then, the association had held serveral national and international com­ petitions in Nigeria. There has always been friendly tourna­ ments between Nigeria and Peoples' Republic of China. Nigeria even hosted the Afro-Asian Table Tennis tournaments in Lagos in 1976.

The Nigeria Hockey Association was formed in 1949, but did not receive any international recognition until 19 50. The boxing association came to being in 1950 and in the same year,

a distinction was introduced between professional and amateur boxing. Other associations were formed later after the foun­

dation of the associations already mentioned had been laid. 152

The associations later formed were:

*Nigeria Amateur Badminton Association (N.A.B.A.) Nigeria Amateur Basketball Association (N.A.B.A.) ♦Nigeria Amateur Handball Association (N.A.H.A.) Nigeria Cricket Association (N.C.A.) ♦Nigeria Amateur Judo Association (N.A.J.A.) Nigeria Lawn Tennis Association (N.L.T.A.) ♦Nigeria Amateur Squash Racket Association (N.A.S.R.A.) Nigeria Amateur Swimming Association (N.A.S.A.) Nigeria Amateur Volleyball Association (N.A.V.A.) ♦Nigeria Amateur Wrestling Association (N.A.W.A.) ♦Nigeria Weight Lifting Association (N.W.L.A.)

The Sports Decree:

The associations were now formed and well established in the country. Lovers of sports did their best to promote sports sports and as it was seen, those involved in these associa­ tions were mostly Nigerian educators, athletes, coaches, police and the army and sports writers. There was a great concern by these sports lovers in later years about the need to have a body that would con-rol these associations. There was the need to put all the associations under one umbrella of admin­ istration. Sporting activities which were limited to track and field and football in the early years increased in quality and quantity. The expansion gave opportunity to more people participating in the sports of their choice. There was no doubt that Nigeria needed a sound administration to carry out the organization and planning of the expanding sporting acti­ vities. Effective sports administration and organization thus rests on control authority or body whereby responsibility

Associations formed after the sports decree. 153 is designated between groups of people in order to achieve the goals and objectives which individuals could not accom­ plish alone. It was therefore rational to create an effec­ tive central organization for controlling sports in order to bring together a group of talented and interested sports administrators for the achievement of certain goals in sports and also for economic utilization of men, materials, and finance.

The Nigeria Olympic Council which was controlling sports was only meant for international competitions, particularly the Olympic Games,and was not therefore competent to adminis­ ter all the sports now being played in Nigeria. The Nigeria

Olympic Council gave way to the National Sports Council in

1961. The National Sports Council was not very effective because it lacked the Government principle of "public accout- ability." To begin with, in 1961, Federal Minister of Labour,

Chief J.M. Johnson, who was also the Minister with overall responsibility for sports in the Federation, appointed a

Nigerian Sports Council with Chief Akin-Deko, a keen sports­ man, as Chairman. With the establishment of this council a long-felt need has at last been satisfied, and the planning and coordination of sports started.

It was discovered however, that the Nigeria Sports Coun­ cil was not active enough to project the image of Nigeria in international engagements. The Army take-over of power in

Nigeria was a blessing to sports and its lovers. The Military

Government was prepared to develop the country's functionaries 154

uniformly including sports. The government supported sports morally and financially. The working system of the Nigeria

Sports Council was studied. The government wanted and needed

to rectify the weaknesses of the Sports Council as it needed

to ensure the type of publicity Nigeria could achieve through

sports. The Military Government was aware that international

sports like the Olympics, for example has to some extent

developed into a political tool contrary to the objectives

of Olympic Games. In view of the role of leadership Nigeria

is assuming in international politics, she cannot afford to

sit back in international sports.

On August 12, 1971, the Federal Government of Nigeria 27 issued Decree No. 34, establishing the National Sports Com­

mission (N.S.C.). The National Sports Commission took its

role from the former National Sports Council which was set up

in 19 61. By this decree, all the National Sports Associa­

tions and the State Sports Councils were to be under the

umbrella of the National Sports Commission. The Decree 34

which established the National Sports Commission reads thus:

1.— (1) There shall be established a body to be known as the National Sports Commission (here after in this Decree referred to as "the Commission") which under that name shall be a boud corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal, and may sue and be sued in its corporate name.

(2) There shall be a body to be known as the Executive Committee of the Commission (here after in this Decree referred to as "the Executive Committee").

2.— (1) The Commission shall consist of the follow­ ing members: 155 a) a chairman appointed by the Commissioner; b) a secretary appointed in accordance with section 8 (1) of this decree; Sec­ tion 8 (1) stipulates that the secre­ tary, who shall be the chief administra­ tive officer of the Commission, shall be appointed by the Commission on such terms and conditions as it may think fit, and he shall have power to exercise general authority over the staff and shall be responsible to the Commission for the discipline of the staff; c) the chairman and secretary of each State's Sports Council; d) twelve persons appointed by the Commis­ sioner after consultation with the appro­ priate bodies to represent national sports associations ; e) five persons one each from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Police Force, and the Department of Prisons (hereafter in this Decree together referred to as "the disciplined forces") appointed by the Com­ missioner on the nomination of the appro­ priate body; f) the chairman and the secretary of the Uni­ versities Games Association; g) one woman appointed by the Commissioner to represent women's sports; h) one person appointed by the Commissioner to represent physical medicine; i) one person appointed by the Commissioner on the nomination of the Association to repre­ sent the Nigeria Olympic Association.

j) one person appointed by the Commissioner on the nomination of the Federal Commissioner for Education to represent schools' sports; and

k) five other persons appointed by the Commis­ sioner to represent sports generally. 156

(2) The following members of the Commission shall constitute the Executive Committee:—

a) the chairman of the Commission;

b) the secretary of the Commission;

c) the chairmen of the States Sports Councils;

d) one person appointed by the Commissioner from the representatives of the national sports associations;

e) one person appointed by the Commissioner from the disciplined forces;

f) one person appointed by the Commissioner from the representatives of the Universi­ ties Games Association;

g) the appointed woman member;

h) the representative of physical medicine;

i) the representative of the Nigeria Olympic Association;

j) the representative of the schools' sports; and

k) two persons appointed by the Commissioner from among those appointed to represent sports generally.

(3) The provisions of the Schedule to this Decree shall have effect with respect to the consti­ tution and procedure of the Commission and the other matters therein mentioned.

The National Sports Commission thus became the agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria and was charged with the responsibility of encouraging, developing, improving and coordinating sports programs throughout Nigeria. The Commis­ sion was also charged to hire sports experts from abroad, purchase sports equipment from foreign countries and helping the states both physically and financially in their programs.

This functions of the Commission as laid down in the Figure 6

The Structure of the Organizations Controlling Sports In Nigeria

Supreme Council for Sports y Nigeria \ International Olympic In Africa f National 1 Committee (S.C.S.A.) 1 Sports I (I.O.C.) \ Commission 1 \ (N.S.C.) / Economic Community of International Sports West Africa Games Federation (E.C.O.W.A.S.) (I.S.F.)

State Sports Council Franchise Nigeria Olympic Committee (S.S.C) Holders (N.O.C.) National Associations

National Sporting Interested Groups

Nigeria Universities Corporations Disciplined Schools Others Games Association & Forces & (N.U.G.A.) Firms Colleges

-Direct Contact within Nigeria Direct Contact outside Nigeria

The I.O.C. and I.S.F. are for International competitions outside Africa, while S.C.S.A. and E.C.O.U.A.S. are wlthlng Africa. N.S.C. Is the main body for all other sports controlling bodies In Nigeria.

U l 158 the decree are;

1. To encourage the development and organization of, and participation in sports in Nigeria.

2. To co-ordinate and integrate efforts to raise the standard of performance in sports through­ out Nigeria.

3. The Commission shall, in all international rela­ tions affecting sports, have the sole right to make, on behalf of States Sports Councils, any necessary arrangements for competitions, techni­ cal assistance, recruitment of coaches and for any such other matters as the Commission may think fit.

4. To promote, in cooperation with other sports bodies or sports groups, the physical fitness and general well-being of all persons in Nigeria.

5. To organize, or assist financially or otherwise the participation in sports at inter-state, national and international levels.

6. To train Nigerians to become sportsmen and instru- tors in sports.

7. To conduct and encourage research into all mat­ ters relating to sports.

8. To provide and maintain sports centers and faci­ lities for the training of Nigerians as instruc­ tors in and organizers of sports.

9. To ensure the participation of all sportsmen where required in inter-state, national, or international competitions.

It was laid down in the policy by the Commission that the Committee should be responsible for the day to day admin­ istration of the affairs of the Commission. In the same

Decree No. 34, a board known as the National Stadia Manage­ ment Board was established and it consisted of fifteen mem­ bers . They were :

a) the chairman, the secretary, and five other members of the Commission, and 159

b) eight other persons, not being members of the Commission, to be appointed by the Commissioner.

The National Stadia Management Board was charged with the

responsibility of maintaining every stadium in Nigeria owned

or controlled by the Federal Government, and of directing all

activities relative thereto.

The Decree No. 34 is not silent about the National Sports

Association formed before the establishment of the Commission

The decree invested in the Commission, the power to set up

national sports associations for each kind of sport and to

appoint chairmen and other members there of. Accordingly,

all matters relating to the constitution, affiliation, recog­

nition, of international eompetition, and officers of national

sports associations shall be submitted for approval to the

Commission. The Commission is also charged with the super­

vision of all the national sports associations and where in

the opinion of the Commission it is necessary to do so, take

over andmanage for such a period as the Commission may think

fit the affairs of any national sports association. The Com­

mission was, however, advised not to interfere with the gene­

ral administration of national sports associations set up

under the Decree No. 34 but may give directions when in its

opinion it is necessary to do so. The national sports associ­

ation is the body responsible for the administration and

organization of a particular sport on a national basis in

Nigeria. 160

Organizational Structures;

Sports administration occurs in an organizational sett­ ing which is a structured termed as organization. The

National Sports Commission in Nigeria is run through a policy making body. The policy making body is made up of fifty- three members called the Executive Committee of the Commis­ sion. The administration of the commission is controlled by the Executive Council of twenty-two people. There is also the National STadia Management Board made up of fifteen mem­ bers. The chairman of the Commission is also the chairman of the board and the secretary of the Commission also serves as the Board's secreatry. Both the Commission, the Committee and the Board are responsible to the Commissioner in charge of sports. The Commissioner is the person who gives the final approval of policies formulated by the Commission. The Commi­ sion each year prepares and presents to the Commissioner a report of its proceedings and operation during a period of twelve months. The report should include a certified copy of the audited accounts of the Commission for that period. The

Commissioner in turn is charged with the responsibility of laying the report and the audited accounts before the Federal

Executive Council.

Some minor changes and reorganizations were made to enable the Commission to carry out it duties in an impressive way.

For example, the term 'secretary' in the decree changed to the Director of Sports and he is the chief administrative 161 officer of the Commission. See Figure 7.

Administration is not exclusive of sports administration and therefore it cannot be a one-man affair. Administration may be conceived structurally as the hierarchy of subordinate superordinate relationships within a social system. Function­ ally, this hierarchy of relationships is the locus for allo­ cating and integrating roles in order to achieve the goals of the organization. It is in these relationships that the assignment of positions, the provision of facilities, the organization of procedures, the regulation of activity, and the evaluation of performance take place. The National Sports

Commission is thus run through an organized hierarchy. For example, the following hierarchical order exists at the

National Sports Commission for effective organization:

a) The Commissioner, Ministry of Social Development, is also responsible to the Federal Executive Council of the Government.

b) The Chairman and Members of the Executive Com­ mittee which formulate policy for the Commission. The chairman presides over all meetings of both the Commission and the Board.

c) Director of Sports is the chief executive officer of the Commission and he is the man in charge of the total administration who makes sure that the policies of the Commission is carried out to successful conclusions. The Director of sports is to coordinate the activities of all the National Sports Associations. He encourages the formation of new sports associations, school sports, organizes competitions at both national and international levels with the assistance of the National Associations, deploys organizaing secretaries of sports and coaches. He also con­ ducts the State Sports Councils from time to time, organizes national coaching courses and deals with matters partaining to the International Olympic Committee through the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Commonwealth Games Association, the Figure 7

Organizational Structure of N.S.C.

1. Chairman of each S.S.C. The Commissioner of Sports 6. Representative of 2. Representatives of Physical Medicine National Associations 7. Representative of 3. Representatives of the National Sports Commission N.O.C. Disciplined Forces 8. Representative of 4. Chairman & Secretary Executive Committee School Sports of N.U.G.A. 9. Five persons of general 5. Representative of Natlpnal Stadia Management sports Interests Women Sport Board

Chairman Sub-Committee

Secretary General 1. Training & Coaching 2. Facilities 3. Competitions 4. Recruitment

Administrative Chief A.C.C. Ass't. Secretary Chief Coaches Research Sports Secretary and Accounts Office (Sports Secre­ Principles Unit Medicine Secretarial Staff for National tary of National Senior Coaches Associations Associations) Ass't. Coaches Instructors

1_ -, —

The Chairman and Secretary of the N.O.A. are All Secretaries and Coaches are employed nominated by the Commissioner for Sports. They by the Commission to work for the National serve as representatives of national association Associations who are affiliated to Inter­ affiliated to 1.0.C. national Federations.

Nigeria Universities Games Association, the West Africa University Sports (F.A.S.U.), and the Supreme Council for Sports in A f r i c a . 2 9 The Direc­ tor of Sports is responsible to the Commissioner.

d) The Deputy Director of Sports is incharge of train­ ing and research. For this purpose, the National Sports Commission founded the Institute of Training which is headed by the Deputy Director of Spirts. He has under him some other lecturers and instruc­ tors. The Institute is directly responsible for the refresher courses for the existing coaches. He is responsible to the Director of Sports. The present Deputy Director of Sports is Dr. Awoture Eleyae.

e) The Administrative Secretary heads the administra­ tive and finance divisions. He is in charge of general correspondence, central record, personnel matters, accounts, sports and sports goods.

f) The Assistant Directors are to over see the acti­ vities of different sports secretaries and secre­ taries and coaches.

g) The Controller of Stadia is the man incharge of all the Stadia belonging to the Commission. He is charged with the responsibility of maintaining and supervising all the stadia and sports facili­ ties. See Figure 8.

The States Sports Councils;

The working systems of both the National Sports Commis­

sion and the States Sports Councils were almost idential. The

States Sports Councils controlled the organization and admin­

istration of clubs and associaions within each state. These

States Sports Associaitons were run on zonal bases. The

National Sports Commission on the other hand coordinated the

various state sports activities. Each State Sports Council

is autonomous without any interference from the National

Sports Commission. The two major bodies worked as partners Figure 8

Organizational Set Up of the National Sports Commission

Commissioner Ministry of Social Development Youth & Sports

Chairman and Members of Executive Commission

Director of Sports

Deputy Director of Sports Administrative Controller of Secretary Stadia Ass't. Director Ass't. Director of of Sports Coaching Sports Organizing Accountant Finance

Audit Adm. Accounts Public Medical Coaching Training Organization Unit Div. Relations Unit Dept. Institutes Dept.

Stores Festival Salaries/Wages School Stadium University Equiptment Claims Sports Maintenance Sports Division 165 in promoting sports in the country. However, the National

Sports Association was mandated to make use of any of the state's athletes and officials for any national and inter­ national engagements. The States Sports Council's programs covered coaching, organizing, recruiting, scouting, officiat­ ing and public relations and training activities.

In order to achieve their objectives, the States Sports

Councils appointed chairmen and secretaries for every sports association in the states. Each sports association was given the authority to run its own program in the best way to pro­ mote sports in the state in particular and Nigeria in general.

When the state chairman was appointed, he was charged with the responsibility of forming zonal associations for the sports he controlled. For example, the writer had the oppor­ tunity to serve one of the states (Oyo) in 1976-78. During this period, he was charged with the responsibility of form­ ing the five zonal associations in the state. He thus launched the zonal volleyball associations in Oyo, Oshun South

Oshun North, Ilesha and Ibarapa zones.

Lauching the Oshun Zonal Amateur Volleyball Association at Osogbo Sports Council Committee Hall on Friday, January

13, 1978, the chairman of the Oyo State Amateur Volleyball

Association, Mr. J.A. Abioye (writer) said:

%...It is the intention of Oyo State Sports Council to continue its enviable role both in the adminis­ tration and sports performances. In pursuance of this laudable intention, the executive committee of the state's volleyball association, with the coopera­ tion of the Ministry of Education on the formation of schools sports committee on divisional, zonal and state levels, invited the Osun zonal volleyball asso­ ciation to be formed.30 166

Each of the zonal associations had a chairman who was responsible to the state's chariman. The dutites of the • zonal association were to organize regular meetings, coaching courses, officiating courses, arrange inter schools/colleges/ clubs' champtionships and keep the sportsmen and sportswomen in good form. The above is reminiscent of what happened in all other sports.

Formation of States Sports Councils;

Early before Nigeria's Independence in 1960, many lovers of sports thought of a way to organize sports so that the standard might be comparable to other developed nations of the world. Many politicians in governments of Nigeria travelled to different parts of the world and were impressed by the superb sports administration they saw. Most of these people came back home with the new ideas. These sports enthusiasts went back to their Regions (now states) to perpetuate new ideas in running sports. This new ideas gave way for the establishment of the Regional Sports Councils in Nigeria. The earliest of them were the Western Region and Eastern Region

Sports Councils which were established in 1959. Since the establishment of the Regional Sports Councils (which are now called the States Sports Councils) took almost the same pro­ cedure, the writer has decided to give a detailed establish­ ment of one othe them which would serve as the image of the rest. 167

How A Typical State Sports Council Was Formed;

The idea of establishing an administrative body to man­ age and control sports originated from sports lovers in the regions. Among these sports enthusiasts was Chief Akin-Deko, a former parliamentarian and a minister, and himself a keen sportsman. He was opportuned to travel to many parts of the world on government assignments. Being a lover of sports he opened his eyes to the administration of sports activities in the countries he visited and became familiar with the adminis­ tration. He saw sports as an avenue to get to the people and as an instrument of unity and keeping fit. He probably dis­ cussed this opinion among his colleagues in politics. He felt it was necessary to coordinate all sports clubs, associations, and their activities.

Therefore, Chief Akin-Deko, then a minister in the Min­ istry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Western Region, presented the case of the need for a Sports Council in the

Region to the Premier of the Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo is a great politician and leader of the

banned Action Group of Nigeria, and now the leader of Unity

Party of Nigeria. He is also a lover of sports. There was

no surprise then while Chief Awolowo agreed with the new idea

and readily gave his seal. By Law No. 51 passed on the 9th

December, 1959 in the Legislative Houses of Assembly and

Chiefs, the Western Region Sports Council Law was estab­

lished. 31

When more states were created in 1967, the Western 168

Region Sports Council was changed to Western State Sports

Council and when the Western State was split into three states (Oyo, Ogun, and Ondo), the Oyo State Sports Council came into being.

The Council is a body corporate having perpetual succes­ sion and a common seal with power to purchase, lease, or other­ wise acquire and hold and dispose of land and other property of what ever kind. The Council may sue and be sued in its corporate name and may for all purposes be described by that name. The Council should like other Government functionaries present to the chairman and a Council of not lestt than seven members annual report including a certified copy of the audited accounts covering a year from April to March preced­ ing the year of report.

Objectives :

The objectives of the Council as spelled out in "the

Western Region Sports Council Law No. 51 were:

1. To encourage and improve participation and assist in the improvement of standards of performance in all forms of sports and to encourage and assist amateurs participating in all forms of sports.

2. To assist financially or otherwise the organizing and holding of matches, competitions, or contests between amateur and to arrange, promote, organize, or hold such sports, matches, competitions, con­ tests, ceremonies and functions as may, in its opinion, be necessary of disirable for the purpose of promoting sports generally.

3. To assist financially or otherwise the participa­ tion of any Nigerian team of amateurs in sports held in Nigeria or elsewhere. 169

4. To maintain playing field and premises for the practice of or for the holding of matches, com­ petitions or contests between amateurs,

5. To establish and maintain centers for the train­ ing of persons and instructors in, or organizers of, any form of sports.

6. To assist financially or otherwise the training of Nigerians to fit them to be instructors in, or organizers of, any form of sports.

7. To assist financially or otherwise, any school, club, association or other body for the purpose of encouraging participation, by such school, club, association or other body in any form of sports.

8. To supervise, control, and where in the opinion of the Council it is necessary so to do, take-over and manage, for such period as the Council may think fit, the affairs and activities of any sports club, association or other body assisted financially or otherwise by the Council.

9. To exercise effective control over sports, matches competitions, contests, ceremonies and functions, arranged, promoted, organized or held by the Coun­ cil, or by any sports club, association or other body assisted financially or otherwise by the Coun­ cil and over the participants.

These were the clauses of the functions of the Oyo State

Sports Council which served as the tools for the administra­ tion and control of sports throughout the state. Other states

Sports Councils such as the Anambra, Bendel, Kaduna, Kwara, and Kano took their roots on similar pattern. When more states were created in 1975, all the new states had their sports councils automatically. Presently, there are nineteen sports councils in Nigeria, one in each of the states.

The creation of states was a blessing to sports develop­ ment in Nigeria. More people engaged in sports and more employment opportunity were opened to more people. Most of 170 these Sports Council were headed by physical educators. How­ ever, the young states lacked adequate facilities but efforts are in progress to make sure that adequate facilities are available.

Organizational Set Up;

The Governor appointed a chairman who presided over all the meetings of the Council and he is responsible to the

Governor of the State. The Director of Sports for the State's

Sports Council is the chief executive officer whose responsi­ bility is to carry out the aims and objectives of the Council.

He is assisted by assistant Directors of sports in some special duties that may be assigned to them. The Director of Sport is responsible to the Council. There is an administrative secretary who is charged with general correspondence, records, personnel and writing of Council's minutes.

The Council is devided into seven sub-units inorder to make administration easy to run. They are:

1. The coaching and training unit which is respon­ sible for the coaching of sportsmen and sports­ women all over the state.

2. The Organization Division is charged with the re­ sponsibility of organizing sports all over the state.

3. The Administrative unit deals with general admin­ istration and it is headed by the administrative secretary.

4. The Accounts Division is responsible for salaries, payment of vouchers and control of finances and it is headed by an accountant who is responsible to the Director of Sports. 171

5. The Stadium Division is responsible for the maintenance of the stadium and the playing fields and courts including swimming pools and it is headed by a stadium manager.

6. Medical unit takes care od the athletic injuries and emergency cases during sports competitions.

7. Publis Relation Unit— this unit projects the actiivites of the Council and serves as a liai­ son between the Council and the members of the Community.

For adequate and efficient operation, the Council used some committees to carry out its duties. For example, the zonal sports advisory committee was set up by the Council to bridge the gaps occurring among the zones. Five zones were created in Oyo State and they were Ibarpa, Oyo, Oshun South,

Oshun North, and Ilesha. These zones, have their zonal offi­ ces in Eruwa, Oyo, Iwo, Oshogbo, and Ilesha. For effective administration each zone was provided with sports organizer, coaches and other administrative officers who were responsi­ ble for planning all sports activities in the zone. The

Organizing Secretary was the administrative head of the zonal office and he was responsible to the Director of sports in the state's headquarters. The advisory committee were to advise the zones to form associations whenever they were ready to do so. The chairmen of such associations were res­ ponsible to the chairmen of their associations at the state's capital. The coaches in the zones were to pay visits to clubs, schools, and colleges, and to coach and advise them on uses of sports equipment and facilities.

The Executive Council's Recreational Facilities Commit­ tee was charged with the duties of advising the Council about 172 recreational facilities such as ground, equipments, and loca­ tion.

The Coaching Committee was appointed to advise on the adequacy of coaching personnel, training, and equipments.

They were to suggest methods of improving the coaching sys­

tem whenever necessary. They were also to advise on the organization of coaching courses for both athletes and coaches.

The financial committee gave advice on matters relating

to the finance of schools, colleges, clubs, associations, and

the state sports festival.

The Committee of the Chairman of Associations were to

advice their associations as well as the Management Committee

of the Council. The chairmen of Association were appointed

by the Governor and they served as links between the zones

and the headquarters. They planned with their Associations

on sports and they were to report, from time to time, their

activities to the Management Committee.

The Schools Sports Committee was set up to cater for

school sports. The Committee decided to break up the schools

into three categories for effective administration. The

three categories were:

a) The Primary School Games and Sports

b) The Secondary Modern School Games and Sports

c) The Secondary Grammar School Games and Sports

This breakdown indeed enabled the Sports Council to ful­

fil its objectives to widen the scope of its activities and

activities and maximise the advantages accruing from 173 construction of zonal stadia. The Council has carried out a crusade of sports development whereby sport is no longer regarded in terms of competition alone but as a way of life.

The States Sports Councils knew the importance of carry­ ing sports to every nook and corner of the country and as such, states sports festivals were usually organized bienni­ ally During such festivals, pupils of primary and secondary schools, students in colleges and universitites and partici­ pants from clubs were brought together in various sports events. The sports festivals have since 1973 become binnial tp preceed the National Sports Festival which is also bien­ nial. The outstanding athletes discouvered during the state sports festivals are usually camped for about six to eight weeks ot afford them and ensure their adequate practice and coaching before the National Sports Festival in the capital city of Nigeria— Lagos. See Figure 9.

Achievements of the State Sports Council:

It is always difficult to measure achievements in any organization unless one is familiar with that organization and its objectives. However, since there were certain objectives laid down by the sports councils, one can assess the progress made in terms of the objectives.

The States Sports Councils have encouraged and improved participation is sports since their inception. For example, more people have had the opportunity to take part in sports than ever before. Sports are carried to the remotest parts Figure 9

Organizational Structure of the State Sports Council

Governor's Office

Chairman & Management Committee

Director of Sports

Assistant Director of Assistant Director Sports of Finance & Administration Sports & Organization

Accounts Public Adm. Medical Organization Coaching Stadium Section Relations Unit Training Management 175 of the country by the Sports Councils. One of the ways taken to achieve this was by creating zonal offices at strategic areas. In each of these zonal offices, capable sports admin­ istrators and coaches are employed to carry out the Councils assignments. More-over, the zonal offices were able to dis­ cover hidden talents sho could not have come to time light in sports. For example, a coach, Mr. Fatunwase who once worked in one of the zonal offices went to the village schools to organize athletics among school children. He eventually dis­ covered a young girl of about fourteen years as a potential runner. The girl, Ebukunjo later represented Nigeria in the

West Africa, All Africa and the Commonwealth Games. Many sporting activities have been organized in the states thereby providing avenue for a lot of people to recre­ ate by watching these sports. For example, many outstanding soccer clubs from Germany, Britain, Brazil, and other African countries have visited the states teams and played them.

Many track and field teams from America, Britain, and African countries were also invited to the states to compete with the

state's athletes. Through all these competitions, friendship has been created between Nigeria and those countries. Quality of performances was also improved through coaching and parti­

cipation.

The States Sports Councils have helped a lot of sports

association financially to exist. Formerly, associations were run by the individuals thus limiting the scope of activi­

ties. Now that the Sports Councils aided the associations 176 financially, they were able to expand their programs.

Some of the States Sports Councils have been able to establish centers for the practice or for the holding of matches, competitions and contests. For instance, the former

Western State Sports Council built four stadia in its divi­ sional headquarters. The building of such facilities gave opportunities to interested athletes to train hard without having to travel to the capital city of their state where a standard stadium formerly existed.

Since the inception of the Sports Councils, many sports organizers and coaches have been sent for further training overseas. Eventually, they became better equipped for their

job and were able to do their work better than before. The

training not only improved the knowledge and skill, but it

also improved their living status.

The Councils, in many cases, have increased their coach­

ing and sports organizing personnel to be albe to cope with

the additional work load which the sports programs involve.

In conclusions, the Sports Councils would do better if

they are more elastic in their opration by giving their

employees free hands to do their duties and by allowing more

qualified people in sports administration and coaching. Their

operations may have been too conservative and this attitude

may be a reflection of predominance of the few expert members

of staff. The existence of too few qualified personnel has

resulted in in-adequate planning and execution of policies. 177 The Summary of the Birth of the National Sports Commission;

In this chapter, attempts was made to discuss the forma­ tion of Sports Associations in Nigeria. The earliest National

Sports Associations in Nigeria were the Amateur Athletic

Association of Nigeria (1944); the Nigeria Football Associa­ tion (1945); the Nigeria Table Tennis Association (1951); the

Nigeria Hockey Association (1949); and the Nigeria Boxing

Association (1950). Other sports such as Badminton, Basket­ ball, Handball, Cricket, Judo, Lawn Tennis, Squash Racket,

Swimming, Volleyball, Weight Lifting and Wrestling formed their Associations later.

The formation of various Associations in Nigeria aided sports participation as each Association was affiliated to the International Body for that sport. The Amateur Athletic

Association of Nigeria organized local, national and interna­ tional competitions. The Association competed and made good marks in the Commonwealth Games from 1950 to 1976. The Niger­ ian athletes in track and field also participated in the Olym­ pic Games from 1952-1976, in the first, second and third All-

Africa Games, and the West Africa Games. In these Games,

Nigerian athletes performed well.

The Nigeria Football Association also organizaed active soccer locally, nationallly and internationally. The N.F.A. sent a soccer team on tour of the United Kingdom in 1949, and won two of their five matches. The N.F.A. has successfully organzied the premier competition in soccer which is the

Nigeria Football Association Challenge Cup Competition from 178

1945 to 1979. The N.F.A. has taken part in important compe­ titions like the annual international soccer mtach with Ghana, the West Africa Games, the All-Africa Games, Africa Cup of

Championship Clubs, African Cup Winners Cup and the African

Cup of Nation. Competitions are also organized at the school levels such as the Junior International Soccer Competition between Nigeria and Ghana.

The formation of all the Sports Associations discussed earlier warranted the need for the establishment of a strong body that will coordinate the activities of all of the asso­ ciations. This led to the formation of the National Sports

Council in 1961. However, the Government was not satisfied with the activities of the Council and it needed a projec­ tion to the world which can only be done by a verssatile body.

On August 12, 1971, the Federal Government of Nigeria issued

Decree No. 34 establishing the National Sports Commission

(N.S.C.). The National Sports Commission is the main organi­ zation responsible for promoting and developing sports in

Nigeria. It is being headed by an executive Director of

Sports who is responsible to the Commission. The Commission has since catered for sports development in the nation and is doing well in its duties. The National Sports Commission has

an Institute of Training headed by the Dupty Director of

Sports. The Institute trains coaches and sports organizers

in different sports. 179

CHAPTER IV

FOOTNOTES

1 Newham, G.E., "Sports Review," Nigeria Year Book, pp. 107-115.

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.

4 The Times, (London) August 2, 1954, p. 2.

5 Ibid.

6 The Offician History of the Vth British Empire and Com- wealth Games, (Vancouver, Canada, 1954), p. 238.

7 Op. cit., p. 2.

8 The Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales Opened, The Times (London), July 19, 1958, p. 8, Col. 7.

9 Official Report of Commonwealth Games, Cardiff, Wales, 1958, p. 24.

10 Op. cit., pp. 271-272.

11 The Times, (London), August 10, 1966, p. 4.

12 Sports in Nigeria, Nigeria Year Book 1968, pp. 271-274,

13 "Edinburgh '70 Games Results," World Sports, (August, 1970), pp. 41-46. 180 FOOTNOTES CON'D.

14 Ibid.

15 Daily Times of Nigeria, Fare Well, Nigeria Athletes, June 21, 1970, p. 26.

16 Official History of the IXth British Commonwealth Games, op. cit., pp. 406-506.

17 Tayo Adetola (Women Angle), "Dupe Oshikoya: A Pride to Nigeria," Daily Times, (February 15, 1974), p. 29.

18 Ibid.

19 Newham, Nigeria Year Book, op. cit., p. 108.

20 Ibid.

21 Ibid.

22 Ibid.

23 Sports Editor, Daily Times, August 20, 1957, p. 16.

24 Op . cit., Nigeria Year Book, p. 215.

25 Ibid., Nigeria Year Book.

26 Ibid.

27 National Sports Commission, Decree No. 34, Official Gazette No. 41, Vol. 58, (August 12, 1971), pp. 149-154.

28 Ibid., pp. 150-151.

29 The present National Director of Sports is Mr. I.A. Akioye, a physical educator, former Senior Inspector of Edu­ cation, Western Region and Director, Institute of Physical Education, University of Ife, Nigeria. 181 FOOTNOTES CONT'D

30 Abioye, J.A., Oyo State to Promote Volleyball, Daily Sketch No. 4351, January 15, 1978, p. 23.

31 Ogunyemi, J.A., Controller of Stadia, National Sports Commission. CHAPTER V

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION OP SPORTS

In this chapter, effort will be made to let the reader understand how sports are being organized and administered in Nigeria. The chapter will deal with sports organization at the secondary school and college levels. Effort will be made to show how important competitions in Nigeria are run.

Such copetitions are the National Sports Festival, Nigeria

University Games Association Games, All Africa Games, West

Africa University Games, and the Nigerian Challenge Cup. The achievements of the National Sports Commission will be enu­ merated while sources of revenue to the National Sports Com­ mission will be dealt with.

Sports were organized in all the secondary schools in

the country by the individual schools. Most schools orga­

nized inter-house athletic, soccer, volleyball, and basket­

ball competitions yearly. For the purpose of these various

competitions, the school usually divided itself into four

houses. Each house is named after some important personality

in the community. The houses competed against themselves for

a particular trophy donated to the school by some eminent

person. These competitions formed the basis from which ath­

letes that would represent the school in school sports were

182 183 chosen. Apart from athletic in colleges, many organizations,

firms, and stores organized sports at club level. Such orga­ nizations were the Nigerian Electric Power Association

(N.E.P.A.); Railway Company; Nigeria Police Force; Nigeria

Tobacco Company (N.T.C.); Ports Authority; Water Corporation and the United African Company.

These organizations and companies organized and finance

sports in order to advertise their various companies. They offered sports and games opportunities to leavers of schools, young people who did not attend schools, and the elementary and secondary schools dropouts. The various department earned

the credit of producing the bulk of athletes who represented Nigeria

in international competitions. However, sports administration

at this level was undeveloped due to many factors. Among these fac­

tors were the inability of the organizers to secure the ser­ vices of adequate personnel; lack of adequate funds and equip­ ment; and the limited knowledge of sports administration of

the organizers.

In an enterprise, sports not excluded, certain processes

should be employed by any person in charge of sports adminis­

tration. They are decision-making, planning, organizing,

coordinating, directing, guiding, controlling and evaluating.

Advanced administrative theory distinguished between decision,

at the operating level and those at the planning level. Sup­

porting this. Greenwood said; 184

"....Just as sutomation requires new skills at the worker level, so will impoved methods require new abilities at the management level. The execu­ tive of the future will be concerned not so much with actual operating decisions. He will be con­ cerned with the establishment of policies and plans that minimize emergencies...t

Though sports were organized within the scope of the knowledge of the sports organizers who existed before the establishement of the Commission, such organization formed the pillar and foundation of sports organization in Nigeria.

Inter-provincial competitions on both junior and senior levels dated back to 1921 in track and field events. The juniors competed for the Sir Clifford Shield while the seniors, the

Battalion and Regimental Clubs, competed for Colonel Mair's

Shield.2 At this period, the program of sports was narrow and scanty. People took part only in events like sprinting, middle distances, long distance, and the jumps.

In 1932, Sir Donald Cameron governor of Nigeria donated a bell as a trophy to be vied for in a ten-mile cross-country race. The 4th Battalion of the Nigerian Army won the trophy once and the 1st Battalion also won it once.

The rapid expansion of sports in Nigeria called for the establishment of a controlling body to administer and orga­ nize sports. One such body established was the Central Orga- nizaiton for Amateru Sports (C.O.A.S.). Organization was made up of educators, historians, economists, and government represen­

tatives. The main aims of the Central Organization for Ama­

teur Sports were to see to the expansion of sports all over

the country and to prepare the country for future participation 185 in international sports competitions. For convenience, the

C.O.A.S. was composed of the National Board of Control, Regional

Committees and Provisioncial Committees.

The National Board of Control was made up of representa­ tives from the East, West, North, and Lagos Colony. Each region had equal power to vote. The officers of the Board were duly elected during an annual meeting of the Board.

The Regional Committees were representatives of the pro­ vinces contituting that region. These representatives were selected from different associations of sport clubs and they were usually the chairmen and secretarties of such clubs. The

Committees were charged with the training and selection of the athletes that would represent that region at the national com­ petitions .

The Provincial Committees were those in the Provinces catering for sporting activities there. Each provincial com­ mittee organized provincial competitions before going for the regional competitions.

The Nigerian Olympic and British Empire and Commonwealth

Games Association (N.O.B.E.C.G.A.) was a body formed as a result of the formation of the Central Organization for Amateur Sports.

The N.O.B.E.C.G.A. was affiliated to the International Olympic

Committee (I.O.C.) and British Commonwealth Federation (B.C.F.).

In the realms of football, boxing, cricket, table tennis, ten­ nis, and field hockey, Nigeria had quite a few annual events.

This brought into focus the next stage of the sports festival

involved Nigeria in sporting activities of the N.O.B.E.C.G.A. 186

Later on, the National Sports Council was formed to take charge of sports administration in Nigeria and then the decree establishing the National Sports Commission was promulgated in 1971. Every lover of sport was happy when the sports decree was announced by the Federal Government of Nigeria. It was the feeling of the majority of sportsmen that the sports decree will pave way to the development of sports in the coun­ try. The physical educators saw the decree as a challenge to test their administrative ability in the field of sports. See

Figure 10. Recounting the reasons why the National Sport Com­ mission was established Chief G. Akin-Deko said:

"....When I was accorded my first opportunity to lead a Nigerian team (as Chef de Mission) to the Rome Olympics in 1960, it dawned on both the team and the officials that if Nigeria would be capable of putting on very good performances at inter­ national festivals, Nigerian Sports development must be better organized. This led to the recom­ mendation which in turn led to the formation of the National Sports Council (now commission) which has become blessing on the nation's sports develop­ ment program over the years...."3

The Nigerian National Statium was subsequently built which is now a pride to Nigeria, Many national and interna­

tional competitions have been held in this fabulous stadium.

Among such competitions were the National Sports Festival

which was held in 1973, the second All-African Games, the West

Africa Games commonly called the 'ECOWAS' and many interna­

tional soccer games. All these competitions are treated

into details in the subsequent chapters. 187

Figure 10

The Early Structure of Central Organization for Amateur Sports in Nigeria

N.O.B.E.C.G.A. Nigeria Olympic and National British Empire Associations and Commonwealth Games Association

Regional Regional Regional Regional Committees Committees Committees Committees

Provinces Provinces Provinces Provinces

Adopted from AAA Hand Bookd, 1952 188

School Sports;

Europeans first introduced their sports into the schools.

In the school curriculum, physical education was very promin­ ent where children were taught basic skills in games and track and field. In the secondary schools and colleges, the even­ ings were used for playing such games as soccer, table tennis,

field hockey- tennis and track and field. The games prac­ ticed and played were internal. They were intramural in nature

Later on schools started to play against each other until

school competitions became well organized in the 1960's.

Nowadays, every state organizes its own school sports

through the State's Ministry of Education, the Sports Council

and the schools themselves. In each of the nineteen states,

is a State School Sports Committee which runs the affairs of

the school sports. The State School Committee is made up of

the officials from the physical education department of the

Ministry of Education, representatives of the Divisional

School Sports Committee who are usually the chairman and the

secretary and the physical education insptector of schools

from that division. The State School Sports Committee elects

their officers at the annual general meeting. The officers

are the chairman, vice chairman, secretary, assistant secre­

tary, treasurer, publicity secretary, and the technical

advisor who is usually a physical educator. The State's Sports

Coouncil is also represented in the Committee. The same

setting is replicated at the divisional leve. The School 189

Sports Committee is charged with the responsibility of orga­ nizing school sports at the divisional and state levels and

to maintain discipline among the students during games.

In each of the divisional education offices, there is

the physical education instpectorate unit which serves both

physical education and sports in the elementary and high

schools. The divisional or zonal sports councils, which are

branches of the State Sports Council, work in collaboration

with the Ministry of Education and the School Sports Commit­

tee as far as sportrparticipation in schools is concerned.

There used to be conflict between the Ministry of Education

and the Sports Council on who was to control sports in schools.

This conflict was settled in 1976 after a top level meeting

of top executive members of both bodies. It was then agreed

upon that both bodies should unite to develop sports in their

respective states. What happens presently is that the out­

standing athletes in schools are followed up by the coaches

for the perfection of their skills. The Mininstry of Educa­

tion is charged with the administrative aspect of the job such

as wrting to inform, the athletes' parents about their child­

ren's performances and movements.

The leadership that is given to any sport competition

always has its inception in the administration. In fact, the

success of such competition rests solely on the strength and

understanding of those who organize it. Supporting this

statement, Delbert Oberteuffer said: 190 ''....The success of the program, therefore, depends upon the quality of its administrator. To succeed any segment of administration needs a systematic organization of its program, selection of efficient personnel, the establishment and management of finan­ cial policy, and the establishment of favorable pub­ lic relations... ."4

Before the school year begins in September of every year, series of meetings are being held by the State School Sports

Committee on sports programs for the academic year. At these meetings, matters on dates of the commencement of the various competitions, finals, finance, transportation, accommodation and feeding, dicipline and officiating are discussed. Both the Ministry of Education's Senior Inspector of Physical Edu­ cation and the Director of Sports of the State Sports Council are responsible to communicate any decision arrived at to there divisional and zonal offices for implementarion. The divisional School Sport Committee usually holds its meeting as soon as the information is passed by the central committee.

At this meeting, each participating school is asked to pay her annual entry fees of ten naira ($15) per sport. Fifty percent of this money would go the State's School Sports for administrative use. The dates and fixtures for the divisional competitions are also fixed in this meeting.

Each school takes charge of all other responsibilities such as transportating the players tothe field of play, feed­ ing and accommodation and equiping the athletes. This does not always constitute much problems since each student in the high school pays a total of six naira ($9) per annum for games and there may be not less than 500 students in a school. 191

The match and sports officials are chosen from a body of

officials officiating different sports. During the zonal

finals, officials are usually sent on interzonal basis to eli­ minate any possibility of partiality. The officials are paid

officiating allowance (except in track and field) by the orga­

nizers from the annual dues paid by the participating schools.

The finals, which usually take place at each State's

Capital, are always accompanied by pomp and pageantry. Talk­

ing drums, sekere,'aro, and other musical instruments are

brought to the stadium. Each band sings in praise of her team.

Caps depicting each school's color are worn and flags are being

carried up and down and around the stadium as marks of support

Sometimes, the crowd becomes riotous and the police force will

set in for peace. The schools vie for differnt trophies for

different sport s donated by eminent persons in the community.

For example, the Principal's Cup is donated by the conference

of all the secondary schools' principals in the state and it

is for the football competition. For each sport final, a

chairman and a lady chairman are always invited from reputable

TSIigerians, to make speech and present the trophy respectively. Army or

Police band is also present to grace the occasion and at the

interval between games, there is usually an Army or Police

parade to entertain the spectators. Talking drums of various

sizes, sekere, and sakara are brought to the stadium by the

teams' supporters. The whole scene looks like a battlefield

with war songs and drumming either to cheer up one's team or

run down the opponent. 192

One pertinent question that comes to the writer's mind is "Why is sport associated with war and not love?" Factually, most ancient nations such as the Greeks, Romans, and Germans had used sport as an instrument of war. It may be the struc­ ture of sport which involves preparation, equipment, competi­ tion, struggle and winning is identical to that of war. How­ ever, it is possible to see similarities between sport and love. The writer believes Schimel who said:

"...Rather than seeing loving and warring as opposed potentials in the human, they are seen as expressions of situational adaptations which may have a great deal in common..."5

The end product of this fiesta is not only winning the trophy but it is meant to select the state athletes in each sport who will go in for the national competitions in either

Lagos, the capital city of Nigeria or any other state capital city that is chosen.

In the 1979 Lagos State Principal's Cup soccer champion­ ship among secondary schools, a total of 56 secondary schools in the state took part. This was in preparation for the selection of the states representatives to the year All-

Nigeria Schools Sports which took place in Imo State capital

city Owerri in December, 1979. The 1979 state competition was different because the soccer matches were organized on league basis as opposed to the former "knock-out" series. The 56

schools were grouped into six zones and the first two schools

in each zone qualified for the knock-out proper. The six

zones are: 193

1) Lagos Mainland 9 schools

2) Mushin West 9 schools

3) Ikeja 9 schools

4) Lagos Island/Badagry 9 schools

5) Shomolu 9 schools

6) Ikorodu/Epe 11 schools

Total 56 schools

The league system was an improvement on the knock-out system which was in use and which sent many schools packing after the first round of the competition. Commenting on the motive behind the league systme the secretary of the State School

Sports Committee, Mr. Anthony Omoera stressed that the league series will give schools an opportunity to play more matches thatn the knock-out seies. He said:

"...It is uneconomical and will surely not help soc­ cer development and promotion in the state which are some of our aims if after all the preparation a school gets into the field to be knock-out after one match..."

"...Since this is the only venue, whereby schols can expose their talents, we are adoping this league series to give all schools a fair chance to display their skill and talent in the game of soccer.®

The discipline of the players as well as the spectators who were mostly students was carried out by the principals of schools taking part in the competition. The State's School

Sports Committee held these principals responsible for keeping law and order during the matches. The Committee stressed the need for the principals to warn their students on the need for the spirit of oneness and healthy rivalry which was one of the aims of the championship. The chairman of the State's 194

School Sports Committee, Chief Olowu said;

"...We assure you that discipline will be well main­ tained by all schools, while cases of injuries will be taken care of by Principals of Schools whose ven­ ues are used for the league matches..."7

The 1979 Lagos State Principal's Cup Soccer championship was won by St. George's College, Obalende, Logas which repre­ sented the state in the All-Nigeria Schools Sports Competi­ tions held at Calabar, December, 1979. At the Calabar Games the following states were present. They were: Anambra,

Bauchi, Bendel, Borno, Cross River, Gongola, Imo, Kaduna,

Kano, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers and Sokoto. The reasons for the absence of three states were not known. The three states were Kwara, Niger, and Ogun.

The opening ceremony was performed on a bright afternoon with a march past by the states competitors, traditional canoes, oath taking by captains of state competitors, presen­ tation of football teams (Lagos State Versus Kano State) and the Nigeria National Anthem. The games was declared open by the Military Administrator for the Cross River State, Captain

Babatunde Elegbede.

The overall result showed that Bendel State came first,

Imo State was second while Lagos State came third. St. Gre­ gory's College, Lagos missed the glamour soccer title of the

1979 All Nigeria Schools Sports. The teams lost the game to

Edo College team from Benin in Bendel State. Thus, Edo Col­ lege from Benin in Bendel State was called upon to represent

Nigeria in the 1980 World Schools soccer competition taking place in Madrid, Spain. "Nigeria won the World Schools Cup 195 two years ago when C.K.C. Onitsha beat All Comers in the

O competition held in Norther Ireland."

Higher Institutions and Sports;

When universities were founded in Nigeria, sports were taken crey lightly and as means of recreation to the students.

However, it was obvious that some of those students in the universitites wre once sportsmen and sportswomen in their for­ mer high schools and were willing to continue their sporting

activities. Thus, these sports enthusiasts continued to main­

tain their interest in sports as they furthered their educa­

tion. The establishment of National Union of Nigeria Univer­

sity Students, as more universitities were founded, encouraged

social and recreational activities. This started the organi­

zation of sports in the universities. It was then possible

for the student union of each university to establish Associa­

tion for Students Games which enabled the student ot demand

for facilities and equipment. Subsequently, a division was

created in the university administration which catered to

sports. Presently, the organization and administration of

sports is charged to the departments of physical education in

the Nigerian universitites.

The Nigerian University Games Association was inagurated

at a meeting held at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria on

July 9-10, 1965 by representatives of the University of

Nigeria, Ahmadu Bello University, the University of Ife, the

University of Lagos, and the university of Ibadan. These were 196 the five universities awarding degrees at that period. Pre­ sently, the number has increased to thirteen universitites.

At the meeting it was greed upon to have the Nigerian Univer­ sity Games Association competitions every tow years. The competitions were to be rotated from university to university.

It was also agreed that the first Games meeting would be held the following year at the University of Ibadan.

The first Games were thus held in Ibadan, in April, 1966.

Four out of the five universitites took part in the Games.

The university that did not participate was the University of

Nigeria, Nsukka which was in the zone where the Nigeria Civil

War was in progress. What further hindered the participation of the university in the Games was the fact that many students from other states have been ordered out the university by the government of Eastern Nigeria which was preparing hard for secession. Such students who ere sent out of Eastern Nigeria were admitted into the remaining four universitites to con­ tinue with their studies. Those whose courses were not off^r offered in these universities went to Britain, the United

States, and Canada to compete their courses. The first Games, which was won by the host universitity was not all that excit­ ing because of the tension in the country— The Civil War.

In 1968, though the Civil War was still going on, the

Nigerian University held the second Games. The Games were held at the University of Lagos. As in the previous Games, the University of Nigeria did not take part because of the

Civil War. Again, only the four universitites that took part 197 in the first Games participated in the second. The Univer­ sity of Ibadan repeated its performance by coming first in the overall events, the University of Lagos was second, Ahmadu

Bello University came in third while University of Ife was fourth.

The University of Ife which was using the old Nigerian

College of Arts, Science, and Technology site, at Ibadan has moved to its permanent site at Ile-Ife which is about 54 miles east of Ibadan. Sports facilities were constructed along with the buildings on the campus. There were two football fields one 440 yard track (now converted to 400 meter track), one hockey pitch, two basketball courts, four volleyball courts, four badminton courts, two netball courts, and eight tennis courts. Because of these available facilities then, the Uni­ versity of Ife hosted the third Nigerian University Games in

1970. The Nigerian Civil War had ended by this time but the

University of Nigeria, Nsukka had not recovered from the hazards of the Civil War, and was unable to participate. For the third time running, the University of Lagos came second, while both Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Ife shared the third place.

In 1972 Games which was the fourth one was held on the campus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The Games for this year were with a difference in that the number of the compet­ ing higher institutions of learning increased. The newly founded University of Benin in Bendel State was admitted into the Games. More-over, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka which 198 had not been participating in the Games because of the Civil

War was present. In all, there were six universities in the

1972 Games. Further more, the writer participated in the 1972

Games and he was the captain for the men's volleyball team that won the gold medal that year. The Civil War was over and every university had settled down to prepare for the Games.

The Games were full of excitement and the competition was very keen. The University of Ife won the overall competition that year while Ahmadu Bello was second. University of Ibadan was third. University of Lagos, came fourth. University of Nigeria fifth and University of Benin was sixth.

The fifth Nigerian University Games of 1974 were held at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Campus. At the Games, six universities took part. The six universities were those that took part in the 1972 Games of Zaria. The Games were keenly contested. One factor contributed to the keeness of the com­ petition and it was the creation of Physical Education Depart­ ments in almost all the universities. Those which had no Phy­ sical Education Department had a coaching division in their universities. With this factor there were some qualified per­ sonnel in the field of sports who did an excellent job pre­ paring the athletes. At Nsukka, the University of Ife again won first place. The host university came second, Ahmadu

Bello was third. University of Ibadan was fourth. University of Lagos was fifth while University of Benin was sixth.

The sixth N.U.G.A. Games of 1976 took place at the Uni­ versity of Ibadan. At this meeting, another newly founded 199 university, University of Adu Bayero University, Kano, applied to be a member of the Nigerian University Games Association and was admitted. However, the university did not take part in the Games but came as an observer that year. In all six universitites participated. They were:

a) Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

b) University of Benin, Benin

c) University of Ibadan, Ibadan

d) University of Ife, Ile-Ife

e) University of Lagos, Lagos

f) University of Nigeria, Nsukka

The standard of performance was very high as most of the uni­ versities had talented athletes. It was remarkable that the

University of Ife repeated its performance and won the first place for the third time running.

At this Game, one particular outstanding athlete was honored. He was the athlete from the University of Ife, Ile-

Ife by name Taiwo Ogunjobi. His very outstanding performances in athletics won him a lot of admiration. He was loved by sports lovers all over the country. He has represented the university and the country of Nigeria in such competitions as the West African University Games, Federation of African Uni­ versity Sports, the International Federation of University

Sports, the Commonwealth Games and the All-Africa Games.

The 1978 Nigerian University Games which was the seventh one took place at the Univesity of Lagos. All the universi­ ties were determined to win the Games and particularly they 200 were bent on seeing that the University of Ife did not win the overall the fourth time in succession. Preparation for

the Games was intensive. The National Sports Commission was doing its job well. There was already created, a division

catering for the university sports. The Commission was aid­

ing all the universities financially and also in respect to

personnel in coaching. It was the aim of the National Sports

Commission to see that the standard of performances was high

at the university level. Everybody felt that the universi­

ties should produce the bulk of Nigerian athletes who will

represent the nation in international engagements. Comment­

ing on the preparation for the 1978 Nigerian University Games

which took place in Lagos, the Acting Director of the Insti­

tute of Physical Education, University of Ife, Mr. J. Ade

Oyewusi said;

"....All the universities are now awake to sports. Ife therefore has to buckle up fine to be able to maintain her lead. Our strength is in our facili­ ties. Work is going on undisturbed on the exter­ nal facilities extension. The place has been look­ ing different now. Before lone, we shall have addi­ tional three lawn tennis courts, four handball, three basketball, one netball, six volleyball courts, on hockey pitch and one table tennis hall. The light­ ing will make all the difference in training for us The early morning program now has Circuit Training in it..."9

The Lagos Games were keenly contested with all seven

uniersities struggling to win. Some universities wanted any

university but Ife to win. However, the University of Ife

won the overall Games for the fourth time running. University

of Lagos, the host, came second, Ahmadu Bello University was 201 third.

The Nigerian University Games of 1980 came up in Benin.

The University of Benin in Bendel State of Nigeria hosted the

Games. More universitites now took part in the Games. There were now thirteen universities in the Association. They were:

1. University of Ibadan, Ibandan

2. University of Ife, Ile-Ife

3. University of Lagos, Lagos

4. University of Nigeria, Nsukka

5. Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

6. University of Benin, Benin

7. Adu Bayero University, Kano

8. University of Jos, Jos

9. University of Ilorin, Ilorin

10. University of Sokoto, Sokoto

11. University of Maidugri, Maidugri

12. University of Calabar, Calabar

13. University of Port-Harcourt, Port-Harcourt

The increase in the number of competing universities

called for complexity of the organization of the Games. The

1980 Games was the first where so many universities were

involved and it served as an experiment to the organizers of

the sports. Both the Nigerian University Games Association

and the National Sports Commission should find a way to reor­

ganize the competition so that the standard of performances

can be raised and maintained. The writer would like to see

the universities grouped into zones or areas so that winners .202 in the zonal competitions chould go for the biannual Games.

Reporting the result of the Games held at the University of Benin's sports grounds, Mr. Lawrence Agge, a graduate stu­ dent at the University of Ibadan said:

"....Nigeria University Games ended well. As usual Ife was first with 19 gold medals, followed by Ahmadu Bello University with 17 gold medals. Uni­ versity of Lagos came third. University of Ibadan was fourth and University of Benin, the host, was fifth..."10

Therefore, the University of Ife, won the overall competition for the fifth time in succession. See Table 11.

The West Africa University Games:

The West African Inter-University Games which was later known and called West Africa University Games (W.A.U.G.) were held initially between two existing universities.in West

Africa in 1951. At that period, the two universities, the

University of Ghana, and the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, competed on a friendly basis in soccer, track and field, lawn tennis, table tennis, field hockey, cricket, and netball. The

Games were held bi-annually and there was no trophy for the games. The establishment of more universitites in West Africa changed the outlook of the Games. There were more universi­ ties taking part in the competitions. The year 1964 was remarkable for W.A.U.G. in that two gold cups were donated by the late Sir Samuel Manuwa for soccer and track and field.

Donating the cups, the late Sir Samuel Manuwa of Nigeria said:

"....I have donated these trophies to all the West African universities as a small contribution to the source of African unity and, of course, to promote 203

TABLE 11

VENUES OF THE NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY GAMES AND WINNERS

Year Venue Overall Winner

1966 University of Ibadan University of Ibadan

1968 University of Lagos University of Ibadan

1970 University of Ife University of Ibadan

1972 Ahmadu Bello University University of Ife

1974 University of Nigeria University of Ife

1976 University of Ibadan University of Ife

1978 University of Lagos University of Ife

1980 University of Benin University of Ife 204

healthy rivalry among the men and women of other universities in the field of sthletic sports...

The formation of West Africa University Games Association and the opening of more universities increased the number of par­

ticipants in the Games. Many games were held in Nigeria,

1965; Ghana, 1967; Sierra Leone, 1969; and Nigeria, 1971. By

1969, there were already thirteen universities participating

in the West Africa University Games (W.A.U.G.). The universi­

ties were:

Republic of Benin: University of Benin

Ghana : Cape Coast University

Legon University

University of Science & Technology

Ivory Coast: University of Abidjan

Liberia: Cuttington College

University of Liberia

Nigeria : Ahmadu Bello University

University of Ibadan

University of Ife

University of Lagos

Senegal: University of Dakar

Sierra Leone: University of Sierra Leone

The 1971 West Africa University Games took place at the

University of Lagos, Nigeria form April 8-10. In all, fif­

teen universitites participated in the Games which was won by

the University of Ife. Ife university came up with 16 gold,

6 silver, 2 bronze medals. University of Ibadan, Nigeria 205 emerged second with 12 gold, 3 silver, and 9 bronze medals.

The University of Nigeria took the third position winning 8 gold, 6 silver, and 6 bronze medals. The host University of

Lagos, was fourth. University of Abidjan, came fifth, Legon was sixth. Cape Coast seventh and Sierra Leone eighth.

The University of Ife, Nigeria, which dominated the track and field events, had 82 points for the men and Sl^s points for the women to emerge the overall winner. See Table 12.

In 1973, the West Africa University Games were held at the University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. The year's competition was very keen and the standard of perfor­ mance was improved. The University of Ife, repeated their lead performance at the games dominating the track and field events. The writer was an eye witness of the Games in Kumas being a participant himself in volleyball. In athletics many new W.A.U.G. records were created by the male and female athletes from the University of Ife, Nigeria. See Table 13.

The West Africa University Games increased numerically

and the competitions were very keen. All the universities

involved buckled up and trained hard for the subsequent games.

By 1977 when the sixth W.A.U.G. was held, the member univer­

sities were eighteen in number. See Table 14. The sixth

W.A.U.G. did not come up until 1977 due to some technical

reason. In 1973, after the games in Kumasi, Ghana, it was

agreed upon that the sixth games should be held at the Uni­

versity of Liberia, Monrovia. Actually, the University of

Liberia agreed to host the games tentatively pending the 206

TABLE 12

MEDAL TABLE FOR THE FOURTH WEST AFRICA UNIVERSITY GAMES, LAGOS, NIGERIA April 8-10, 1971

University Country Gold Silver Bronze Position

Ife Nigeria 16 6 2 1st

Ibadan Nigeria 12 3 9 2nd

Nsulla Nigeria 8 6 6 3rd

Lagos Nigeria 3 3 3 4th

Abidjan Ivory Coast 2 1 - 5 th

Legon Ghana - 3 - 6 th

Kumasi Ghana - 3 2 7 th

Cape Coast Ghana - - 3 8 th

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone - - 1 9 th 207

TABLE 13

RECORDS CREATED BY UNIVERSITY OF IFE ATHLETES IN THE 5TH W.A.U.G.

Name Event Record

Ore Odelusi 200 meters (men) 21.5 seconds

Taiwo Ogunjobi 800 meters (men) 1 min., 53.2 seconds

Tunde Asagba Pole Vault 3.81 meters

Taiwo Orungebemi 400 meters (men) 47.6 seconds

Margret Bifarin 200 meters (women) 25.0 seconds

Margret Bifarin 100 meters hurdles 15.9 seconds

B. Kpologen 400 meters (women) 61.2 seconds

B.E. Egbuchua 800 meters (women) 2 min., 34.5 seconds

A. Okoli Discuss (women) 39.93 meters

A. Okoli High Jump 5 feet, 0 inches 208

TABLE 14

CURRENT MEMBERS UNIVERSITIES OF W.A.U.G.

No. Institution Country

1 Ahmadu Bello University Nigeria

2 University of Benin Nigeria

3 University of Ibadan Nigeria

4 University of Ife Nigeria

5 University of Lagos Nigeria

6 University of Nigeria Nigeria

7 University of Cape Coast Ghana

8 University of Ghana Ghana

9 University of Science and Technology Ghana

10 University of Liberia Liberia

11 Cuttington University College Liberia

12 University of Benin Benin

13 University of Abidjan Ivory Coast

14 University of Sierra Leone Sierra Leone

15 Federal University of Cameroun Cameroun

16 University of Benin Togo

17 Polyterbingue Institute of Conakry Guinea

18 University of Dakar Senegal 209 completion of their sport facilities then, In 1975, some members of the Nigerian universities and some others from the

West Afeican universitites went to examine the facilities of the University of Liberia, Minrovia. It was a total disap­ pointment as the contingent discovered that nothing practical was done about the facilities. The games, therefore, were not held. The excutive committee of W.A.U.G. thus requested for fresh applications for member universitites. The University of Ife, Nigeria volunteered to -host the 1977 games which was the sixth.

Source: 6th W.A.U.G. Program of Events, March 18-28, 1977.

The West Africa University Games which were held at the

University of Ife, Nigeria had been proclaimed as the best organizaed of all those held since the inception of the games.

There was a lot of documents and reports about the games. It was given wide publicity and it was well covered by the media.

There were sixteen universities present with active participa-

topm while two universitites cam as observers. In all, there 12 were a total of 1, 291 competitors and 230 officials. This

was the Sixth West Africa University Games.

The Games were declared opened by the Nigerian Head of

State and the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Lt. Gen­

eral Olusegun Obasanjo. He showed his happiness for the games,

wished all the athletes a good competition and reminded them

to think seriously about African unity.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Science and Tech­

nology, Kumasi, Ghana noted the increase in the number of 210 of universities taking part in Games. He said:

" The growing membership of W.A.U.G. Association is ample testimony to the popularity of the Games, and of the fact that they are successfully fulfill­ ing the noble objectives and ideals of thier orgina- tors— namely, to promote true sportsmanship, com­ radeship, cooperation, and goodwill among the mem­ bers of the academic community throughout West Africia...

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, on the other hand, pointed out the importance of sports in the interna­ tional scene and how sport has become a political and econo­ mic factor that protray a nation. In his goodwill message to the Games, the Vice Chancellor said:

"....By participating in the W.A.U.G., you are contri­ buting you quota to the promotion of West Africa unity as well as encouraging better international understanding. The experience of recent years has demonstrated that sport is an important element in the political and economic life of any country, and an essential factor in promoting foreign polidy— While you are striving hard to win medals to your universities and respective countries, you should do this with a sense of mission, discipline, friend­ liness, honesty, fair play, and the desire to ensure that the Games achieve the goals of their founders

The Games which started on March 20, 1977 ended on Satur­ day, March 28, 1977. The Games were keenly contested by each university trying to win the first place. The University of

Abidjan which was specially appealed to to attend the Games did excellently in the Games winning almost all the events.

The way the athletes performed made spectators feel that they were professionals. They won 20 goal, 13 silver and 10 bronze medals. The University of Ife, which won the previous

Games came second with 12 gold, 11 silver, and 8 bronze medals while thte University of Cameroun, Yaounde was third winning 211

8 gold, 9 silver, and 4 bronze medals. See Tables 15 and 16.

The National Sports Commission played an important role in the organization of the West Africa University Games par­ ticularly in the one held in Nigeria. The section which catered for sports in higher institutions of learning was well represented in the preliminary meetings before the Games and also in all the subsequent meetings, during and after the

Games. The National Sports Commission also supplied officials who officiated during the Games. Financial aid was also given to aid the organizers.

The Universities in Nigeria have taken part in the Fede­ ration of Africian University Sports (F.A.U.S.) since its

inception in 1971. The idea of the formation of this associa­ tion was first conceived in the speech of the Vice Chancellor,

University of Cape Coast, Ghana to the first West Africa Uni­ versity Games in 1965. In his message to the W.A.U.G. Games held at Ibadan in 1965, Professor N.G. Bakhoom said among other things;

".... I send you felicitous greetings on this momen­ tous occasion of the First West Africa University Games, and wish you every success in this epoch- making enterprise. It is our earnest hope that these Games will help foster real friendship, cor­ diality and cooperation among participating insti­ tutions; what is more, "it is our great desire that in due course, the scope of the Games will be widened to embrace all university institutions in the whole of Africa" to make for the periodic coming together of all university students in Africa for the benefit not only of the students but also of Africa..."17

During the closing ceremony of the First West Africa

University Games at Ibadan, delegates were informed of 212

TABLE 15

MEDAL TABLE SHOWING ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PARTICIPATING UNIVERSITIES IN THE 6th W.A.U.G. HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OP IPE, NIGERIA— MARCH 19-28, 1977

University Country Gold Silver Bronze

Abidjan Ivory Coast 20 13 10

Ife Nigeria 12 11 8

Cameroun Cameroun 8 9 4

Ibadan Nigeria 7 8 5

Nsukka Nigeria 6 5 1

U.S.T. Ghana 2 4 7

Benin Togo 2 3 -

Ahmadu Bello Nigeria 2 1 6

Legon Ghana 1 3 10

Lagos Nigeria 1 3 1

Benin Nigeria 1 - 1

DuBenin Benin - 1 3

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone - 1 1

Cape Coast Ghana - - 3

Liberia Leberia - - 1

Cuttington Liberia -- — T A lll.K 1(>

Ml;l)AI.S ANAI.YSIS Sl'OKT BY Sl'OKT, W.A.U.U .. IIARCIl, 1977*'^’

All: iul iu:i Uaiiiua Swlmjiiliiji Tio al IINIVKKSITY USB U S B USBU S B

Abiiljuii IJ (i 1 J 4 b 4 1 20 11 10

1 lu Ü 5 ‘i 4 4 1 2 2 2 12 ill 8

C.imul 111:11 J y 4 5 - - - - - 8 y 4 lliadaii 1 2 I (i 4 T 2 J 7 8 5

Niiiikka - J - b 4 1 b 5 I

U.S.T. 2 2 2 - 2 2 - - i 2 4 7

Bull ill I I - 1 2 I 1 I 2 1 -

A.H.ll. 1 - t) 1 1 - - - 2 1 b

I.u^mi 1 2 2 - 1 8 - - - J 1 10 l.aKU:i - - 1 1 i - - - 1 1 1

Bull ill - -- 1 - - - 1 - 1

Dll Bull 1II - - 1 - 1 2 - - - - 1 1

S i r u r i a l.uoiiu --- - 1 1 - i I

U C.C, - - 1 - 2 - - - 1

U.I.. ------I

Cut I i iigiiiii ------

NJ I-" U> 214 Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's intention to donate a trophy for All-

Africa University Games as soon as it was formed. Delegates welcomed this announcement and were happy. However, there was no follow-up after the Games, until 1970 when the West

Africa University Games Committee held its meeting in Lagos,

Nigeria. The topic was brought up by the Chairman of the meeting Dr. Adegbited who told the meeting of Zaire's willing­

ness to participate in W.A.U.G. Though Zaire is not geo­

graphically situated in West Africa (it is situated in Cental

Africa), Dr. Adegbite felt this reguiest was a good avenue to

call for the formation of All-Africa University Games. He

signified his intention to summon a meeting of all African

universities sports authorities to Lagos, Nigeria. The meet­

ing was not held until after the World University Games in

Turin, Italy, in 1970.

The very poor performances of all the African universi­

ties in the Turin Games motivated the formation of the All-

African University Games Association. During the Games in

Turin, only one bronze medal was won by Ravelomanan Tsoa of

Madagascar (Malagasy Republic) in the 100 meters (men). Dr.

Adegbite called an emergency meeting of all the African

delegates to Turin Games. In the meeting, Algeria, Congo

Brazzaville, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya 18 and Zaire were represented. At this meeting. Dr. Adegbite

informed the delegates that he was mandated to summon the

meeting of all African universities sports authorities to

look into the possibility of forming the Association. Those 215 present in the meeting contributed to the discussion and they all agreed to the formation of the Association at another meeting to be held during the W.A.U.G. games in 1971 at

Lagos.

On April 12, 1971, at a meeting held in Lagos, the repre­ sentatives of All-African Universities Sports Authorities, the Federation of African University Sports Federation or

Federation Africaine du Sports Universitaire (P.A.S.U.) was formed. Dr. Adegbite was elected the Chairman, while E.T.

Kodzi from Ghana was elected the secretary. At the meeting, the following major decisions were taken:

a) The the new Africa University Sports body founded on April 12, 1971 whose main objective is the development of university sports in Africa be named and called FEDERATION OF AFRICAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS and/or FEDERATION AFRICAINE DU SPORTS UNIVERSITAIRE (French) (F.A.S.U.).

b) That the first All-Africa University Games should be held in 1974.

c) That the basis of competition in the Games should be national.

d) That only the following eight sporting activities should be competed for in 1974— soccer (men), basketball (men and women), volleyball (men and women), lawn tennis (men and women), table tennis (men and women), swimming (men and women) athle­ tics (men and women), and handball (men). It was however agreed that in future, the number of events of the games could be increased depending upon the request of members.

e) That each regional organization was free to con­ tinue or discontinue regional games.

f) That qualifications in the games should be: i) All university students including colleges awarding diplomas or degrees.

ii) Qualification in F.A.S.U. shall be exactly same as that of F.I.S.U. Games. 216

g) That the annual subscription should be $150,000 per country.

h) That the Executive Council should speed up arrange­ ments for the First Games. These should be, the award of venue to a country, information to all countries in Africa, drafting of rules for compe­ tition and constitution of F.A.S.U.

The N.U.G.A. took part in the First All-Africa University

Games which was held at the University of Legon, Accra, Ghana between December 27, 1974 and January 11, 1975. At the over

1,500 athletes and 600 officials from different universities •

in AFrica were present. In all, 16 African countries were represented. Egypt came first by winning 36 gold, 15 silver, and 5 bronze medals, Nigeria came second with 9 gold, 10 sil­ ver and 15 bronze medals while Ghana, the host country was third with 8 gold, 10 silver, and 18 bronze medals.

At the closing ceremony the Nigerian soccer team played

Ghana in a grueling final. Nigeria won by one goal to nothing.

See Tables 17 and 18.

National Sports Festival;

Early in this writing, the writer made it known that the only sports that brought the youths of Nigeria togethwer was the Empire Day sports. Even then, only youths living around the same district or dividion were brought together on Empire

Day. Nigeria then thought of a national festival of sports that could bring the youth of the country together for parti­ cipation and better unity. Probably, the All-Africa Games which were held in Lagos Nigeria between January 7-18, 1973 was the beginning of the National Sports Festival. Nigeria 217

TABLE 17

MEDAL TABLE FOR THE FIRST F.A.S.U. GAMES HELD IN ACCRA, GHANA IN 1974/75

Medals Country Gold Silver Bronze Total

Egypt 36 15 6 56

Nigeria 8 19 15 42

Ghana 9 10 18 37

Ivory Coast 6 5 3 14

Algeria 1 4 8 13

Uganda 2 1 5 8

Togo - 2 4 6

Congo Brazzaville - 2 - 2

Sudan - 2 - 2

Sierra Leone - - 1 1

Liberia - - 1 1

Republic du Benin -- - -

Zambia - - --

Zaire - - --

Gabon - -- -

Tanzania - - - - 218

TABLE 18

THE 1975 F.A.S.U. RECORDS^!

Sports (men) Records Sports (women) Records

100 m 10.6 secs. 100 m 11.09 secs.

200 m 21.1 secs. 200 m 24.06 secs.

400 m 48.5 secs. 400 m 55.0 secs.

800 m 1 min. 53.3 secs. 800 m 2 min. 53.3 secs

1,500 m 4 min. 2.2 secs. 100 m hurdles 15.3 secs.

5,000 m 15 min. 15.6 secs. Shot putt 10.8 m

High Jump 1.95 m High Jump 1.62 m

Triple Jump 15.80 m Javelin 40.13 m

Long Jump 7.95 m Long Jump 5.91 m

110 m hurdles 14.4 secs. Discuss 40.17 m

400 m hurdles 54.08 secs 4 X 100 m relay 48.01 secs.

Discus 48.82 m

Pole Vault 4.20 m

Shot Putt 15.78 m

Javelin 66.09 m.

4 X 100 m relay 42.03 secs.

4 X 100 m relay 3 min, 16.7 secs. 219 saw what sports could do as unifying factor because of its common language and characteristics. After the 2nd All-Africa

Games in January, 1973, the National Sports Commission set up a Committee of three to look into the possibility of having a bi-annual National Sports Festival in the country. The Com­ mittee met and cmae back with the bi-annual National Sports

Festival based on the principle of mass participation in sports throughout the country.

On acceptance of the recommendations of the Committee, the first National Sports Festival was held in August, 1973 and the second National Sports Festival was held in August,

1975 both in Lagos, Nigeria. At the closing ceremony of the

2nd National Sports Festival in Lagos, if was announced that the 3rd National Sports Festival would be hid Kaduna, Nigeria in 1977. It is unfortunate that there were no proper docu­ mentation of records for the 1st and 2nd National Sports Fes­ tival. However, from the personal experience of the writer as a participant in the first and an official in the second, it could be said that the first National Sports Festival served as an experiment. There was a lot of problems in the first festival particulary concerning the under thirteen years boys and girls competitions. It was difficult to determein the age of these children as most states did not produce correct birth certificates of the children. They wanted to win at all cost thereby defeating the aim of the

Festival.

Since the National Sports Commission established the 220

National Sports Festival, the character and duration objec­ tives, conditions for representing the state, particular classes of competitions, entries and rules of competition were set.

The 3rd National Sports Festival was held in Kaduna from

July 22-31, 1977. This was the first time the Festival was held outside Lagos. See Appendix for the list of the Orga­ nizing Committee. The Festival was declared open by the Head of the Federal Military Government, Commander in Chief of the

Armed Forces, and Patron of the 3rd National Sports Festival,

General Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday, July 22, 1977 at the

Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna. Talking about why the venue of the Festival was shifted from Lagos, the Head of State said:

"....The decision to hold this Festival in Kaduna is a welcome departure from the past. Apart from re­ flecting the desire of this administration to ensure that national sporting events are staged in different corners of the country, the decision also reflects the conscious attempt of the Government to decentra­ lize facilities and activies...

".... In addition to the obvious advantage of diver­ sifying our national sporting facilities, the hold­ ing of such national events outside the Federal capital also engenders a new sense of awareness. For those of you who are visiting this part of the country for the first time, you will be able to have on-the-sport assessment based on personal experiences which are good ingredients for despening your national awareness and heightening your understanding. Such experiences serve to widen, in more practical terms, your perpertives about your country, its aspiration and limitations..."2 3

The Head of State in declaring the Festival open said: "....May I end these remarks by invoking the spirit of sportmanship in all of you who will be taking part in the forthcoming events. I value the spirit 221 of sportsmanship in a combination of understanding, comradeship and discipline as much as I value your determination to win.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to open the 3rd National Sports Festival

See a copy of the Head of State's speech under Appendix

A total of over 9,00 participants in senior and intermediate categories sweated for honour and glory with over 1,500 offi­ cials in what was ten days of splendor and glamour, with all the attendant problems and difficulties.

All the nineteen states in the Federation took part in the 3rd National Sport Festival and they all entered male and female competitors except Niger state which entered only male competitors in the senior category. Ten states (Anambra,

Bendel, Benue, Imo, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Lagos, Oyo, and

Rivers) participated in all the fifteen sports. Bendel state had the largest contingent of 561 competitors followed by Imo

((534) and Anambra (529). Niger state had the least with 218 competitors. The competitors competed in fifteen sports

(see Apendix 11)

Describing the magnitude of the National Sports Festival,

Alhaji Umaru Idris, the Chairman of the organizing committee said;

"....The magnitufe can only be imagined when it is viewed from the point that all the nineteen states in the Federation are participating. With the in­ crease in sports to fifteen, a total of three 3,942 intermediates ages eighteen and below and a total of 4,299 adults would be competing. In addition, aout 750 technical officials and some further 500 accompanying officials and sports administra­ tors and organizsers have been brought together in this great sports fiesta..." 222

For the purpose of eacy administration of the Sports

Festival, the Organizing Committee set up nine sub-cimmittees which catered for certain key aspects of the administration.

The sub-.committees set up were:

a) Accomodation Sub-Committee

b) Catering Sub-Committee

c) Ceremonial, Protocal, Recreption and Medals Sub-Committee

d) Transport, Communication and Traffic Sub-Committee

e) Publicity, Press and Public Relations Sub-Committee

f) Security Sub-Committee

g) Technical Sub-Committee

h) Medical Sub-Committee

i) Fund Rainsing Sub-Committee

Each of teh Sub-Committees had a chairman and a secretary who

reported back what they did to Organizing Committe of the Fes­

tival .

The cost of the 3rd National Sports Festival was esti­

mated to be Nl.016 ($1,096). The money was spent on secre­

tariat, documentation, accomodation and catering, ceremonial

and protocol, transport, traffic and communication, security,

medical, press, publicity and public relations, technical,

venues and equipment, rehabilitation of existing facilities,

and training of officials in Kaduna. It was discovered that

the money estimated for the Festival was not enough and the

Organizing Committee had to empower the fund raising commit­

tee to solicit funds to meet the estra expenses too. The 223

The secretary of the organizing Committe in his report wrote;

This Committee did a good job and a total of M307,718.50 ($503, 436.80) was collected. As of now, all funds, and the donation collected for both the West Africa Games and the 3rd National Sports Festival has been spent on the 3rd Na­ tional Sports Festival and we are still in debt to the tune of over N160,000 ($2 4 5 ,0 0 0 ).25

The use of different media such as radio, television, and press releases added pomp and pageantry to the publicity over the radio and television and in all the Nigeria news papers.

The Press, Publicity and Public-Relations Sub-Committee set up by the Organizing Committee did a lot of publicity about the

Festival. This sub-committee was headed by Alhaji Tukur

Othman of the Kaduna State, Ministry of Internal Affairs and

Information, with Abiola Laguda of the N.S.C., Lagos, as secre­ tary. It was sad to not that the chairman of the Press, Pub­ licity, and Public Relations Sub-Committee resigned his chair­ manship immediately after the maiden meeting and other members failed to attend other subsequent meetings. Describing the situation, the Secretary said:

"....This unfortunate situation left the whole plann­ ing and execution of publicity work for the Festival in the hand of both the secreatry and the co-ordinator..." 25

These problems not withstanding, the sub-committee did its best to ensure adeuate publicity for the Festival. Several radio interviews and television appearances involving the

chairman and some other members of the Organizing Committee were held. Through converted effort, the Press, Publicity

and Public Relation Sub-Committee strongly mobilized the

various information media for publicity for the success of the 224 Festival.

The games were keenly contested by all the competitors from the nineteen states of the Federation. Each state was trying to win this game or the other. There was a healthy rivalry in the competitions and Nigeria was able to select its national sports representatives from over 9,000 partici­ pants. The Bendel State came first by winning 76 gold, 49 silver, 25 bronze medals, Lagos was second with 31 gold, 23 silver, 37 bronze medals whili Oyo came third with 21 gold,

27 silver, and 27 bronze medals. See Appendix F for medals

Table.

The Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo was not present at the closing ceremony of the 3rd National Sports

Festival at Kaduna. The chief of staff. Supreme Headquarters

Brigadier Shehu Yar'Adua represented the Head of State at the closing cermony on July 31, 1977. The chief of staff expressed the Government's desire to improve sports. He said:

"....The Governments in the Federation, as well as their agencies will certainly continue to strive towards the stimulation of interest in, and the development of sports. The existence of a special Ministry of Sports at the Federal level and similar instirutions at the state level are indicative of the importance which governments stress on sports... ,27

For a big Festival, such as the National Sports Festival, there usually is a series of problems. However, it is not the existence of problems that matters but how the problems are solved. It was gratifying to note that the Organizing Commit­ tee of the 3rd National Sports Festival in Kaduna was able to identify and solve the problems that arose. The problems as 225 contained in the report of the Committee were;

a) Release of Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC): The reliance placed on the FESTAC left-overs made plans to solicit for the loan and supply of the materials from other sources ineffective.

b) Late approval and rlease of funds as well as the inadequate amount provided by the Federal Govern­ ment .

c) Lateness or dely in purchasing food stuffs.

d) Lack of coordination and control in the catering sector of the Festival.

e) Many states did not bring crockery for their con­ tingents as requested.

f) Staffing of the secretariat of the Festival was grossly inadequate and the bulk of the job, in­ cluding filling of letters and documents, were done by the secretary, 90% of all the secretarial per­ sonnel provided by the Kaduna State Ministry of Establishments were inexperience and in most cases were of no use to the secretariat. The typist provided were without typewriters.

g) Many states did not comply with the closing dates of the submission of entries and other documents equired of them This made the work of documen­ tation very difficult and hampered the relese of relevant statistics on the Festival when reqired.

h) The Sub-Committees and the Secretariat were stranded most of the period of the Festival because of lack of transport. In most cases, they had to move in taxis or walked back to their hotels late in the night.

i) Some Sub-Committe members withdrew andmany were ineffective.

j) The large number of participants brough the pro­ blem of accommodation and catering as well..

k) Many of the states brought competitors over 18 years to compete for the intermediates. This created a lot of problesm in the intermediate group.

1) The behaviors of some contingents leave much to be desired.28 226

The organizing committee of the 3rd National Sports Fes­ tival did not only enumerate the problems that they encoun­ tered, but the committee gave some uselful recommendation that would better the organization of the 4th National Sports

Festival which was held in Ibacan in 1979. Thier recommenda­ tions were:

a) The release of funds for future festivals should be made at least one year ahead to facilitate good planning and proper control of expenditure.

b) All non-perishable foodstuffs should be purchased well in advance to avoid last minute rush and price inflation by traders.

c) States who fail to supply the necessary crockery for their contingents in future festivals should be made to purchase those items.

d) States who fail to comply with the entry closing dates for th festivals should not be allowed to compete.

e) The staffing of the secretariat should be adequate with experienced typists and clerks.

f) Enough transport should be provided for the work of the sub-committees as well as the secretariat.

g) Membership to avoid including those who see the committee as a way of having a short holiday from their work and those who see the membership as a way of making money.

h) to reduce the number of participants coming for the Festival, zonal system of competitions re­ commended earlier should be implemented.

i) Age determination exercise should be overhauled and proof tight method of certification adopted.

j) Enough security measures should be provided in athe games villages to prevent pilfering of all items provided in the villages. k) Each State Sports Council should appoint a compe­ tent Secretary at least two months before the festival and the various sub-committees. 227

1) Eash State should provide a cook and a supervisor to help in the catering section of the Festival.29

The 3rd National Sports Festival came and went. The

Festival could not be said to be hitch free because of the muriad of problems already enumerated. It was good that the problems were settled before the Festival got half-way and were not allowed to hinder the purpose of the Festival. The

Festival, however, and in spite of all the odds achieved its objectives which were mass participation in sports, discovery of talents, higher standard of performance, and promotion of unity of the Federation amongst Nigerian youths.

The 4th National Sports Festival was held at Ibadan in

Oyo State of Nigeria between August 30 and Septermber 9, 1979.

The decision to hold the Festival was reached at the 3rd

National Sports Festival held in Kaduna. The number of sports was increased from fifteen to seventeen. The two additional

sports were Weight Lifting and Wrestling for males. Welcom­

ing the participants to the Festival, Brigadier Paul Tarfa,

the Military Administrator of Oyo State reminded them of the

purpose of the Festival. He reminded the sportsmen and sports­ women of the Government's spending on sports and implored

them all to justify the spending. The Brigadier said:

"....Sportsmen and sportswomen of this country, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Ibadan. Most of you must have traveled a long way down here for this national event, you are all aware that both the state and Federal Governments must have spent a lot of money to host this great nation's most prestigious Sports Fiesta. I therefore, enjoin you all to make the festival trouble-free. 228

abiding by all the rules and regulations that bound each sport. That is how to justify such huge sums invested in sports... "30

Governments have consequently come to regard sports as their responsibility, to the limits that their resources per­ mit, to contribute to the sports and its proper development, apart from merely ensuring a healthy mind in a healthy body.

There were twelve sub-committees formed to make sure

that the Festival ran smoothly. They were accommodation;

catering; ceremonal, protocol, medal and reception; transport;

traffic and communications; technical program; rules, regula­

tions, and results; press, publicity and public relations; medican' security; documentation; program sub-committee; main­

tenance; and venues and equipment.

In his own message, the Federal Commissional for Labour

Youth and Sports, S.O. Williams reminded the athletes of the

need to win laurels in sports. He said:

"....Most sportsmen look forward to competing and winning laurels at the highest arena for their sports. Indeed most nationals and indeed their governments now derive considerable pleasure and have a feeling of pride when sportsmen and women from their country win these laurels. Governments have consequently come to regard it as their re­ sponsibility, to the limits that their resources permit, to contribute to the sports and its proper development, apart from merely ensuring a healthy mind in a healthy body... "31

One of the purposed of organizing the National Sports

Festival is to discover talents who will represent Nigeria in

International competitions particularly the Olympic Games.

Nigeria has been struggling to make a good mark in the Olympic 229 Games since 1952 but the best it has ever won was the bronze medal in boxing. This medal was won by Maijegun who became the first Nigerian to win a medal in the Olympic Games. Talking about Nigeria's aspiration to succeed in the Olympics, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Brigadier Sho

Silva, addressing the participant in the 4th National Sports

Festival said;

. .We have made our mark in the African Games Commonwealth Games. Our success story has been encouraging. But nevertheless we have not achieved much success in the wider sporting arena, viz the Olympic Games. I think this is the target we should be aiming at and the reali­ zation of this expectation should be the over­ riding consideration in the thinking and planning that underlie our progress..."^2

The general conduct of the festival was satisfactory and

there was not a single case of bad officiating reported against

any official throughout the Festival. The seminar held for

the officials of the Games prior to the opening ceremony

helped a great deal. Commenting on this, the chairman of the

Technical Committee, J, Ade Oyewusi, and who is also the Act­

ing Director of the Institute of Physical Education, Univer­

sity of Ife said;

"...One may like to attribute the major part of this achievement ot the seminar which preceded the festi­ val as it allowed the officials of individual sports maximum interaction to discuss together, Rules and Regulations as well as techniques of their sports..."33

The overall result took a different turn in the 4th

National Sports Festival. For the first time since the Festi­ val started in 1973, Bendel State was dethrowned by Lagos

State, thus, was the winner of the 1979 National Sports 230

Festival held at Ibadan capturing 51 gold, 26 silver, and 45 bronze medals. Bendel State came second with 49 gold, 55

silver, and 52 bronze medals while River State was third with 28 gold, 26 silver, and 16 bronze medals. The host state,

Oyo, came fourth with 22 gold, 21 silver, and 44 bronze medals.

See Table 19.

After the Head of State's closing remarks, the Games were offcially closed on Sunday, September 9, 1979. The Fes­

tival Flag was lowered and the participants solemnly sang

the famous song "God Be With You Till We Meet Again." All the

participants are now eagerly looking forward to 1981 when they will meet again in another state. Then they will renew their

friendships and make new ones.

All-Africa Games;

Early in this chapter, attempt was mde to make the reader

understand how sports are being organized and administered

at the school, university, and national levels. It is now

appropriate to discuss briefly about the Nigeria's involvement

in the continental sports. This portion of the chapter there­

fore, will address itself to the history of the All-Africa

Games, its significance and Nigeria's involvement and parti­

cipation in the Games. The All-Africa Games stagged in Nigeria

in 1973 will be delt with particularly in a more detailed

form.

The history of Games in Africa is much older and more

complex than most people imagine. The road has been long and 231

TABLE 19

FOURTH NATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL, IBADAN, 1979 FINAL MEDALS TABLE 34

Cl State Gold Silver Bronze

Anambra 8 ' 11 17

Bauchi 5 7 10

Bendel 49 55 52

Benue 1 4 5

Borno 1 - 1

Cross River 3 4 8

Gongola 9 9 10

Imo 12 11 18

Kaduna 9 6 10

Kano 1 1 3

Kwara 3 2 5

Lagos 51 18 45

Niger 1 2 3

Ogun 12 14 26 Ondo 17 32 36

Oyo 22 21 44 Plateau 9 18 14

Rivers 28 26 16

Sokoto 4 3 6 232 crooked. The beginning of the 20th Century saw the concept of a continental sport in Africa. This was the same period that organized sport, as it is known today, started in

Europe. It was a period when the Olympic Games of modern era were held in Athens, Paris, St. Louis, London and Stock­ holm. It was the era when the first series of national

track and field athletic championships and national football

(soccer) championships were organized in Central Europe. If

the history of the continental games in Africa was dated to

the early 20th Century, one may wonder why it took so long

to organize the first truly All-Africa Games in Congo Braz­

zaville in 1965. . The reasons was that the Colonial powers

in Africa placed much importance to the geographical expres­

sions in colonial days. Each Colonial power kept its colo­

nies in water-tight compartments. As a result, one country

was very ignorant of the sporting activities of its neigh­

boring country on the same continent. What happened was

that the average Nigerian sportsman knew very little about

sport in the Republic of Benin, Togo, Niger Republic, Tchad

and Cameroun (her nearest French speaking neighbors).

Instead, Nigeria went past the Republic of Benin, and Togo

to play aganist Ghana her nearest British Colony. Further­

more, politics, differences in language, communication and

economic difficulties, all played their part in preventing

an earlier organization of the All-Africa Games. Elaborat­

ing on the situation, Abraham Ordia said; 233 "....Each colonial power took his traditional sport to his Colony so that while. Netball, Polo, Cricket Field Hocky, etc. were played in the Anglophone countries very little or nothing was known of Basket­ ball, Cycling, Judo, Handball, etc. which were highly developed in the Francophone countries... "35

It is very difficult to kepp politics out of sports.

Just as in other places, sport in Africa is somewhat poli­ tical. A part of the continent considers sport a factor which is to serve the colour and national pretige of its country, whereas the progresssive forces of the other inde­ pendent countries of the continenet view sport and the All-

Africa Games as a very genuine means of fostering friendship, unity and brotherhood among all African nations.^6

The idea of an All-Africa Games probably was not con­ ceived by an African. It came from the immortal Frenchman,

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympics who took an interest in matters of African sportsmen as early as 1920.37 This great man, with the support of an Egyptian

I.O.C. member, Angelo Bolanaki supported the idea of estab­ lishing the All-Africa Games. The Games were to be held every two years and participants would be Africans only.

Abraham Ordia's account on this is worthy of reading:

....Pierre de Coubertin attached such great impor­ tance to the establishment and organization of the All-Africa Games that he commented upon it in Rome on 27th April, 1923, during the I.O.C. session there. Addressing the August World Assembly, he said, "As the end of my Olympic career draws nearer, I should like to refer once again to the conquest of Africa in the field of sports which to my mind is one of the most topical subjects of the colonial era. " The world renowned Frenchman and many years Presi­ dent of the I.O.C. passionately advocated a world 234 sponshorship for sports in Africa leading to the All-Africa Games. His plans, notable though they were, did not meet the great success of his life­ time ... 3 8

Several attemps were made to stage the All-Africa Games but were foiled by the representatives of world sports, the vast majority of whom came from countries possessing colonies in AFrica. However, a decision was later reached by the I.O.C. 39 to hold the first All-Africa Games in Algiers in 1925. This decision got an enthusiastic response from Africa and African sportsmen of the time. But the organizational problems were so complex and the financial difficulties so insurmountable that the initiators were forced to postpone the date to 1929 and to transfer the Games to Alexandria in Egypt. Egypt was happy about this decision and they made a lot of preparation for the Games. They even went as far as preparing medals for the winners. It was disappointing to note that the Games were not held in 1929 either. Abraham Ordia, who was told this sad story by Egyptian sports leaders in Cairo and was presented with one of the unused gold medals got ready for the 1929

Games, wrote again :

....The Egyptians enthusiastically and generously sup­ ported the idea of Alexandria Games. This was to be expected...(Egypt had proved quite successful at the Olumpic Games in Amsterdam in 1929 by winning several medals, one gold each in weight lifting (light heavy weight) and wrestling (middle weight) one silver in high diving and one bronze in springboard diving. Stimulated by this sensational success, the Egyptians were prepared to organize the first All-Africa Games in Alexandria in the month of April, 1929. Angelo Bolanaki was in charge of the large scale preparations. The Egyptian government made considerable funds avail­ able for the building of a modern stadium 235 and other facilities. King Fuad was ready to declare the Games open on April 5, 1929. The medals were ready. So were the flags and anthems. Officials had their stop watches checked and serviced and their measuring tapes ready. Yes, the birthday of a continential sport in Africa was to be a real public festival But, alas! a few weeks prior to the opening cere­ mony, the holding of the Games was vetoed by the English and French— of all peoples— the two greatest colonial powers in Africa who had done so much for sport in their respective territor­ ies ...40

This cancellation of the games was the straw that broke the Carmel's back. The heavy blow retarded the development of sport in Africa for many years. Further attempts to orga­ nize the All-Africa Games were foiled by difficulties but the leaders struggled on. The first and second All-Africa football championships for national teams which were held in

Kartoum in 1957 and in Cairo in 1959, and the West Africa

Games held in Lagos, Nigeria in 1960 to mark the country's independence were stepping stones to the establishment of the

All-Africa Games which came to reality in 1965.

The Dakar Games, which was termed "Games of Friendship," therefore did not only witness the emancipation of women in sports in Africa, but laid the foundation stone of the All-

Africa Games as was conceived by Baron Pierrie de Coubertin.

Congo Brazzaville was requested at the conference of the Min­ isters of YOuth and Sports in Pairs in June, 1962, to orga­ nize the 1965 Games.

In February, 1964,^^ a preparatory conference of the

First All-Africa Games was held in Congo Brazzaville to con­ sider all matters relating to the Games. Invitations were 236 issued by the President of Congo Brazzaville to the Heads of State and Governments of all the independent countries of

Africa. The invitation was honoured by over twenty-one Afri­ can countries and a meeting was held where a committee for

All-Africa Games was formed with one representative from each independent country in Africa as member. The High Commis­ sioner for Youth and Sports in Congo Brazzaville, Andre Hom- bassa was elected President, Abraham Ordia, Secretary of the

National Sports Council of Nigeria, Vice-President, and Jean

CLude Ganga, Director of Sports of Congo Brazzaville as Sec­ retary General,Joseph J.F. Chesson from Liberia, Lucien Sollo of Cameroun, Badara Sow of Nali, and T. Tequame of Ethiopia were elected members of the committee. A general secretariat was established for the Games for the execution and coordi­ nation of the decisions of the Executive Committee and the various sub-committees making up the Organizing Committee of the Games.

At last, the dream of the All-Africa Games came true and the First All-Africa Games were held between July 18-25, 1965 at the National Stadium, built for this purpose, in Congo

Brazzaville. The Games were declared opened by the President of the Congo Republic Alphonse Massamba Debat on July 18, 1965 in the presence of I.O.C. Resident, Avery Brundage. In all, thirty independent African countries participated in the First

All-Africa Games. It was a dream come-to-pass, a symbol of nationhood, a great honor for humanity and a blessing of unity for the African race. More than 3,000 sportsmen and 237 sportswomen took part in the games. They represented Alger­ ia, Ethiopia, Cameroun, Central Africa Republic, Congo Repu­ blic (Brazzaville), the Democratic Republic of the Congo

(Zaire), the Ivory Coast, Dahomey (now Republic of of Benin),

Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Upper Volta, Kenya, Liberia,

Madagaskar (now Malagasy), Malawi, Mauritania, Mali, Niger,

Nigeria, Uganda, U.A.R. (now Egypt), Senegal, Sierra Leone, 42 Tanzania, Tchad, Togo, Tunisia and Zambia.

Prior to the opening of the First All-Africa Games, the

Executive Committee made some major decisions which were rati­ fied. They were:

1. That this and all future Games, with immediate effect, are known and called "ALL-AFRICA GAMES."

2. That participants are to be citizens of Africa by birth or naturalization and where naturalized, this must have been done at least six months prior to the Games.

3. That there shall be preliminary elimination con­ tests in seven zones on the continent in all the group sports and that only the zonal champions need come to the host city. The host country shall be exempted from the preliminary elimina­ tion contest.

4. That All-Africa Games shall be held every four years, in the year preceding the Olympic Games.

5. That the Second All-Africa Games be held in Mali. ..43

But at Mali's specific request it was agreed that in order to give them sufficient time to prepare, the Second

All-Africa Games should be held in the City of Bamako in Octo­ ber, 1969. There-after, all future Games must return to the calendar. Thus the third All-Africa Games should be held in the year 19 71, a year before the Munich Olympic Games in 1972. 238 Nigeria sent a total of sixty-five people to the Brazza­ ville Games. Of this number, 44 were men athletes, 16 were female and 5 officials. Some of the outstanding Nigerian athletes were Sam I gum, David Ejoke, Leke Adeniyi, B. Maje- kodunmi, E. Erinle, Titi Adeleke, Ronke Akindele, V. Odogwu,

A. Okoli, S. Obayemi, A. Oyakhire, T. Erinle, Okwara, and A.

Akika. The overall was won by Egypt with 18 gold, 10 silver and 3 bronze medals. Nigeria came second with 9 gold, 5 sil­ ver and 3 bronze medals while Kenya was third with 5 gold, 6 silver and 2 bronze medals. Nigerian athletes who won gold medals and also set records in athletics were A. Okoli in high jump (women) 1.62 meters, S. Igun high jump (men) 2.07 meters and triple jump of 16.27 meters, Okwara in javelin

(women) 40.30 meters, A. Oyakhire in javelin (men) 71.52 meters, 4 X 100 m relay (women) in 48.00 seconds. Others:who won medals at the Games were Ronke Akindele, Titi Adeleke,

Jumoke Bodunrin, Majekodunmi, T. Erinle, and Akika. See results of the 1965 All-Africa Games in Table 20. Some of the world renouned athletes from Kenya who were

described as "the wonder boys of Kenya Athletics world fame"

made their bebut in the Games. They were Kipchoge Keino,

Wilson Kiprugut, Benjamin Kogo and Naftali Temu. On the

whole, the Games, which were the first of its kind in Africa,

were successful. It is pertnent here to end this episode

with the words of Abraham Ordia who said:

"...The old order changeth yielding place to the new and God fulfills Himself in many ways best one good custom should corrupt the world..." The All- Africa Games has at long long last become a reality after 40 years of struggle and frustration; of hopes and despairs; and despairs that yet hoped. Yes, it has come and has come to stay.44 239 TABLE 20

MEDAL WINNERS IN THE FIRST ALL-AFRICA GAMES, CONGO BRAZZAVILLE, JULY 18-25, 1965.45

Events Medal Winners Time/Distance Country

100 m. (men) Kone 10.3 secs. Ivory Coast Owl ta 10.5 secs. Kenya F. Erinle 10.6 secs. Nigeria

200 m. (men) Kone 21.1 secs. Ivory Coast Ejoke 21.4 secs. Nigeria Ravelomanantsoa 21.7 secs. Madagascar too m. (men) Kiprugut 46.9 secs. Kenya J.A. Addy 41.4 secs. Ghana Gakou 47.7 secs. Ivory Coast 800 m. (men) Kiprugut 1:47.4 mins. Kenya M. Ndiaye 1:48.6 mins. Senegal P. Frances 1:49.1 mins Kenya 3000 m. B. Koyo 8:44.4 mins. Kenya Steeplechase N. Chirchir 8:53.1 mins. Kenya Okadapan 9 :05.8 mins. Uganda 5000 m. Keino 13:44.4 mins. Kenya Temu 13:58.4 mins. Kenya M. Uolde 14:18.6 mins. Ethiopia 110 m. hurdles E. Erinle 14.6 secs. Nigeria Akika 14.6 secs. Nigeria S. Haki 14.7 secs. Ivory Coast 400 m. hurdles Songok 51.7 secs. Kenya M. Sarr 51.9 secs. Senegal Sam Sang 52.5 secs. Kenya Long Jump (men) E. Akika 7.49 m. Nigeria Ahmed 7.48 m. Egypt Hansour Dia 7.29 m. Senegal High Jump (men) S. Igun 2.07 m. Nigeria H. Elende 2.03 m. Congo A. Senoussi 1.99 m. Chad Triple Jump S. Igun 16.27 m. Nigeria Hansour Dia 15.93 m. Senegal L. Sarr 15.38 m. Senegal Shot put (men) S. Kraghe 16.32 m. Ivory Coast H. Mahrous 14.87 m. Egypt 0. Yovan 14.84 m. Uganda

Discus (men) N. Naire 51.20 m. Mah S. Kraghe 50.84 m. Ivory Coast Anukwa 45.16 m. Nigeria Javelin (men) Oyakhire 71.52 m. Nigeria Ch. Kiptalam 70.46 m. Kenya E. Yanyambal 68.54 m. Chad Pole Vault B. Elloe 4.15 m. Ivory Coast A. Ghita 4.05 m. Egypt Gneplou 4.05 n. Ivory Coast 4 X 100 relay (men) Senegal 40.5 secs. Senegal Nigeria 40.8 secs. Nigeria Ghana 40.9 secs. Ghana 4 X 400 relay (men) Senegal 3:11.5 mins. Senegal Kenya 3:12.2 mins. Kenya Ghana 3:12.2 mins. Ghana WOMEN

100 meters J . Bodunrin 12.4 secs. Nigeria R. Okafor 12.5 secs. Nigeria Rose Hart 12.5 secs. Ghana 80 meters hurdles Rose Hart 11.7 secs. Ghana Diana Monke 11.8 secs. Kenya M. Obayemi 11.9 secs. Nigeria Long Jump Alice Annum 5.63 m. Ghana Osuagwu 5.34 m. Nigeria Th. Nakisuyi 5.22 m. Uganda High Jump Okoli 1.62 m. Nigeria Adisa Atla 1.59 m. Ghana Awori 1.56 m. Uganda Javelin Okwara 40.30 m. Nigeria Dismas 40.24 m. Tanzania Anyikwu 39.48 m. Nigeria 4 X 100 relay Nigeria 48.00 secs. Nigeria Ghana 49.1 secs. Ghana Cameroun 49.2 secs. Cameroun 240

The Second All-Africa Games were to be held in Bamako,

Mali in 1969. The reports of the ad hoc committee for the

Games was approved. The conference of all sports leaders in the continent held in Bamako in December, 1966 abolished the Permanent Committee and formed a new organization to be known as the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (S.C.S.A.).

The constitution was approved and elections held under the charimanship of the Rt. Honorable Sir Adetokunbo Ademola then Federal Chief Justice of Nigeria and I.O.C. Member.

At the same meeting, Adre Hombassa of Congo Brazzaville was elected President, Abraham Ordia of Nigeria, First Vice Pre­ sident, Badar Sow of Mali Second Vice President, and Jean

Claude Ganga was appointed full time Secretary-General for a term of four years. The new headquarters of the S.C.S.A. was located in Yaounde Republic of Cameroun. Unfortunately, the

President became incapacitated to such an extent that he was unable to perform his official duties and thus in accordance with the Council's constitution, the first Vice President

Abraham Ordia automatically assumed office as Acting President.

Ordia's appointment as the Acting President was ratified in

1969 at the Kartoum meeting. He was subsequently unamimously elected President at the General Assembly in Cairo in March,

1970.

The Organizing Committee of the 2nd All-Africa Games to be held in Bamako, Mali worked hard to make everything ready

for the Games. All installations for the 2nd All-Africa Games were completed. However, there was a change in the government 241 of Mali and this new government felt unable to proceed with the organization of the Games. All efforst to save the Games proved fruitless. The Executive of the Supreme Council for

Sports in Africa contacted several countries in Africa to host the Games but all of them declined on the ground that the time for preparation was too short for such an important

Games. The President, Mr. Abraham Ordia, who was deeply involved in the Games wrote;

....The Executive Committee of the S.C.S.A. did every­ thing possible to save the Games. All appeals to several African governement to take the Games did not meet with success as everyone considered the time left too short to do justice to their organization. Aris­ ing from this predicament, the S.C.S.A. decided to call off the Bamako Games and rename the Lagos Games "Second All-AFrica Games... 46

Thus, the Games for 19 69 were cancelled.

The Second All-Africa Games were held in Lagos, Nigeria between January 7-18, 1973. In a meeting held in Bamako in

1966, the Permanent Executive granted recognition to Nigeria to host the 2nd All-Africa Games in 1971. Because of the

Nigeria Civil War which has just ended, work on the prepara­ tion for the Games was inevitably delayed. However, Nigeria showed the desire and enthusiasm to host the Games. With this determination, the Nigerian Government requested the

Supreme Council for Sports in Africa to extend the period of

The Games from 1971 to 1972 so as to give a little more time to complete the installations and other facilities required.

Because 1972 was the Olympic year, the I.O.C. regulations

forbid the holding of any Regional Games. Thus at the General 242

Assembly in Cairo in 1970, the S.C.S.A. decided to hold the

Games in 1973, even though out of calendar. This new date was acceptable to Nigeria.

Nigeria made adequate preparation for the Games. A new

National Stadium was build with many outdoor and indoor faci­ lities. His Excellency, General Yakubu Gowon, then the

Nigeria Head of State took deep personal interest in all aspects of the preparation for the Games.

The Games were held under the auspices of the Supreme

Council for Sports in Africa who also governed the Games. An

Organizing Committee comprising the Secretariat of the S.C.S.A.

and some seventeen sub-committees headed by a Chairman,

Brigadier Henry E.G. Adefope, worked round the clock to ensure

success of the Games. About forty countries in Africa par­ ticipated in the Second All-Africa Games in Lagos. Names of the countries that participated were Algeria, Botswana,

Cameroun, Central Africa Republic, Republic of Benin, Ethio­ pia, Equitorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast,

Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malagasy, Malawi, Mali, Mau­

ritania, Mauritus, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Peoples Republic

of Congo, Gambia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia,

Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tchad, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda,

Egypt, Upper Volta, Zambia, and Zaire.

The opening ceremony was a remarkable one which was akin

to the usual opening ceremony of the Olympic Games and the

Commonwealth Games. The ground opening started with over

4,000 sportsmen and sportswomen marching across the main bowl 243 each contingent behind their national colors. Then followed the release of thousands of pigeons and balloons to grace the occassion. It was a very colorful scene. The New York Times reporter who covered the opening ceremonies wrote:

....the marching units seem for the first time here as a group, provided a study in modern African fashions...

....Upper Voltan youths, wearing conical straw hats and the striped pajamas-like cotton suits of Fulani Cattle herders, contrasted both with the Tanzanians in their plain Maoist suits and with the bell-bot­ tomed trendy pants— suits— reminiscent of Paris boulevarols— worn by women athletes from the Ivory Coast...

....Business suits were worn by the Algerians, desert robes by the Sudanese, blazers by the Kenyan men and mini-skirts by the Kenyan women. The Camerouns dele­ gates came in flowing white boubas with white caps...

....There was great ethnic variety also. Among the most Black and Arab delegates were sprinklings of Europeans and East Indians. The athletes from Mau­ ritius reflected that island's African, East Indian and Chinese population, and the Malagasy Republic ath­ letes were mostly descendants of the Indonesian peoples who migrated to the East Indian island many centuries ago...

....About seven hours of pomp and pageantry followed the parade, including traditional dances, the releas­ ing of thousands of doves of peace and the lighting of a flame with a torch brought from Congo Brazza­ ville. ..

The competitors participated in eleven sports which were

track and field, boxing, football, basketball, volleyball,

swimming, lawn tennis, cycling, table-tennis, handball, and

Judo. Nigeria, the host country, participated in all the

eleven sports. The Nigeria contingent which totaled 196 ath­

letes was comprised of 149 men, 47 women, and 19 team 244 officials. See Appendix J. Out of the 196 athletes, there were 59 entered for track and field, 24 for basketball

(men and women) 11 in boxing, 6 cycling, 20 for soccer, 14 for handball, 8 for judo, 6 for lawn tennis, 16 for swimming,

20 for table tennis, and 12 for volleyball (men).

The competition was very keen and many African records were set. In athletic events alone, 31 African records were set— 18 in men's events and 13 in women's events. It was gratifying to note that Nigeria alone, but- of the 40 compet­ ing nations, established five African records. The records established were in 4 X 100 meters relay (men), with a new record of 3 8.84 seconds which erased the previous record of

40.5 seconds; high jump, shot put, long jump, and 100 meters hurdles. Out of these five records, Modupe, Oshikoya alone set three records in 100 meters hurdles, high jump, and long jump. By this, she was pronounced the outstanding athlete in the Games. Another Nigerian girl, Evelyn Okeke established her own record in shot put with a throw of 13.58 meters.

Other nations also getting records at the Games were Kenya,

Egypt, Uganda, Ghana, Ethiopia, Senegal, Mali, and Ivory

Coast. (See Appendix K for records set during the Games.)

The Nigerian athletes who won medals in the 2nd All-

Africa Games, Lagos were Modupe Oshikoya, Evelyn Okeke, A.

Okoli, G. Agbagba, N. Mnena, E. Edet, R. Joshua, B. Ewuzie,

J. Okoro, Aboyade Cole, A.O. Ufon and F. Mgbakwe. (See

Appendix J for medal winners.) Medals were also won by

Nigeria in some team sports like boxing, tennis, and table 245 tennis. Five gold, 4 silver, and 8 bronze medals were also won in swimming.

The "greatest" of all the medals, which was the gold medal in soccer, was won by Nigeria. Soccer, all over Africa, is called the 'king' of games and it is the national game of

Nigeria. It was the belief of Nigeria that if you won every­ thing but soccer, you won nothing. The national soccer team called "The Green Eagles" did Nigeria proud by becoming the

strongest soccer team in Africa having beaten the Egyptian,

Ghanaian,Guinean, and Ugandan national teams. At the end of

the game, and during the presentation of the medals, the Head

of State, General Yakubu Gowon rechristianed the Green Eagles

as the "Golden" Eagles. Egypt won the overall games by col­

lecting 25 gold, 16 silver, and 15 bronze medals. Nigeria

was second with 18 gold, 25 silver, and 20 bronze medals

while Kenya was third winning 9 gold, 9 silver, and 10 bronze medals. (See medal tables under Appendix L).

People who witnessed the Lagos Games will ever remember

the high standard of performances. The dexiterity of athle­

tes like Benjamin Jipcho of Kenya, Akii-Bua John of Uganda,

Philbert Bayi of Tanzania, and Modupe Oshikoya of Nigeria,

who were world rated athletes, and who performed at their top

forms in the Games, will linger long in memories of those

who saw them. They displayed good sportsmanship on the track

and field. They not only set the new African records but

also did not disappoint themselves and their admirers.

Finally, the aims of the Games which were the fostering of 246 unity, friendship, understanding, and mutual respect among the teeming youths of the continent were achieved.

The Challenge Cup

The writer dealt with the growth and development of soc­ cer in Nigeria earlier in this writing. The game has devel­ oped tremedously. In three Olympic Games, Nigeria has quali­ fied for the last stages twice. Nigeria has witnessed, not only a rising standard of play, but also a tide of improved organization. At the National level management has gotten better. There is one big competition in Nigeria which con­ tributed a lot to the development of the game— it is the

Challenge Cup Competition.

From the earliest days this annual soccer festival has been the greatest stimulant to the game of football in Nigeria.

The Challenge Cup Competition in Nigeria is the pivot around which Association Football revolves in the country. In the year 1945, Sir Arthur Richard (later Lord Milverton) Governor

of Nigeria donated a cup for soccer competition among clubs.

The cup which was originally called the Governor's Cup was

later changed to the Challenge Cup. A prolific sports wri­

ter, Horatia Agedah commenting on the Challenge Cup wrote;

....When Lord Milverton, then Sir Arthur Fredrick Richards, Governor of Nigeria, presented the beauti­ fully engraved silver trophy in 1945, little did he envisage that in less than 30 years, his sporting gesture would revolutionize Association Football in Nigeria... 247

The trophy was known as the Governor's Cup until 1954 when the creation of the Federation of Nigeria saw the appointment of three Regional Governors and a Governor-Gene­ ral. The Regional Council of the Nigeria Football Associa­ tion (N.F.A.) soon possessed their own Governor's Cup. This called for a change of title of the original national trophy and at the annual general meeting of the N.F.A. in Lagos on

Monday, February 28, 1955, the title of the trophy was changed for perpetuity. Thus was created "the Nigeria Football Asso­ ciation Challenge Cup Competition," now simply known as the

Challenge Cup Competition.

The original competition was for Lagos Senior Clubs only, though provincial teams which could pay their fares to Lagos were allowed to take part. The competition ran for two years before any provincial team ventured to take part. These were

Port-Harcourt, Ibadan, and Warri. In the next three years,

Jos (Plateau) Abeokuta, Kaduna, and Kano added their names to

the list of the adventurous ones, but without success.

Before 1950, the competition was played off in a couple

of weeks. There was no provision for any contingency. There­

fore, a drawn game which necessitated a replay inevitably

caused consternation to N.F.A. officials. One team, for

example, played in a drawn semi-final on Thursday, replayed

and won on the following day, Friday, and then turned out on

the following day, Saturday, in the final, and won. It was

the fascinating Marine Club of 1945, the first winners of

the cup. 248

It was not long after the donation of the cup before the national popularity of the Governor's Cup captured the fancy of the Nigerian soccer world. In 1950, the competition was organized on a truly national basis when 23 provincial asso­ ciations entered teams. Ten teams came from the West and

Midwest, seven from the East and six teams came from the

North.

The Cup was won continuously by a Lagos team until 1953 when the provincial players showed in no uncertain manner

that the trophy was not longer a Lagos prerogative. In that year, Kano defeated the Lagos Dynamos Eleven, 2-1 to become I the first winners from the Regions. See Table 24 for the winners of the Cup.

On the occasion of the Silver Jubilee (25th Anniversary)

of the competition in 1970, the old Silver Cup was replaced

with the present N2,000 (about $2,600) Gold Cup. Lagos

Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (E.C.N.) now Nigeria

Electricity Power Association (N.E.P.A.) Football Club was

the first to win the new trophy. It was in the same year

that the decision was taken to encourage State Football Asso­

ciations to present club sides as in Lagos and not combined

teams from one place. This was an acknowledgement of the

very high standards which players outside Lagos had attained.

Commenting on this Horatio Agedah said:

"....In recent years, footballers in the States have shown their superiority over Lagos clubs by dominat­ ing the finals. Since 1971, no Lagos team has ap­ peared in the Cup F i n a l . .."49 249

TABLE 21

WINNERS OF THE CHALLENGE CUP FROM 1945--1979

Year Winner Year Winner

1945 Marin, Lagos 1963 Port-Harcourt Red Devils Railway, Lagos 1964 Railway, Lagos 1946 1947 Marine, Lagos 1965 E.C.N., Logas

1948 Railway, Lagos 1966 Ibadan Lions

1949 Railway, Lagos 1967 Stationary Stores, Lagos

1950 U.A.C., Lagos 1968 Stationary Stores, Lagos

1951 Railway, Lagos 1969 Ibadan Lions

1952 Pan-Bank, Lagos 1970 E.C.N., Lagos

1953 Kano 1971 W.N.D.C. (I.I.C.C.) Ibadan

1954 Calabar 1972 Bendel

1955 Port-Harcourt 1973 No Competition

1956 Railway, Lagos 1974 Enugu Rangers

1957 Railway, Lagos 1975 Enugu Rangers

1958 Port-Harcourt 1976 Enugu Rangers

1959 Ibadan Lions (Red Devils) 1977 I.I.C.C., Ibadan

1960 E.C.N., Lagos 1978 Bendel

1961 Ibadan Lions 1979 I.I.C.C., Ibadan

1962 Police, Lagos 250 AMong all the teams that ever came from the States, the boys from Jos have been the most remarkable. It has not been for lack of talent that the coveted trophy has eluded Jos since they first entered the competition in 1947. As a mat­ ter of fact, it has always been a narrow miss for the gallant boys from the Highlands. Successive teams from Jos have cre­ ated greater sensations in the Challenge Cup Competition than even the all-conquering Railway Eleven. Describing the pre­ dicament of the Jos team under the caption "10 times unlucky, the 'tin boys' of Jos, Horatio Agedah said:

"....The record of the "tin boys" from the Plateau Highlands is matchless. They have qualified for the Final of the competition on more occasions than any other side. The boys from Jos, under different names, have been finalists ten times (1951, 1952, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972. 1974). They have never won the Cup..."5 0

Perhaps the greatest disaster that had ever befallen the boys from Jos occurred in 1970. Never had the Highlanders come within such grasping distance of the Challenge Cup as on that bright afternoon of the second Saturday in October, 1970.

They were offered victory on a platter of gold, with which to bear away, the new giant Gold Cup which was presented for the first time that year. Exactly four minutes before the end of the match, an indisputable penalty was awarded against the opposing team, E.C.N. of Lagos. The score-board at the time read 1-1. Left-half back, Ali Lime of Jos, who had scored from a previous sport kick, appeared confident to hit the back of the net again. He put his right foot to the ball as

30,000 spectators held their breath. The ball went wide 251 and the Lagos City Stadium shook with the roar of the crowd.

Plateau's greatest schemer and striker, the late Sam Carba

Okoye, broke down in tears. The match was replayed on the following Saturday and Jos was defeated by two goals.

In 1972, the Challenge Cup Final between Bendel Insur­ ance Football Club of Benin and Mighty Jets of Jos was played at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan after a draw at the City Sta­ dium, Lagos. This was the first time the Final of the Chal­ lenge Cup was played outside Lagos. The match was won by

Bendel Insurance Club.

The I.I.C.C. Shooting Star Football Club of Ibadan in

Oyo State of Nigeria won the 1979 Challenge Cup by beating

Sharks Football Club of Port-Harcourt in River State by two goals to nothing. The game was played at the National Stadium,

Lagos, Nigeria. The N.F.A. did stress that the National Sta­ dium, in Surulere, Lagos, will be the venue for all future cup finals.

Achievements of the National Sports Commission

It is a diffiduclt task to measure achievements in any

Organization since there is no common measuring yard stick.

However, in assessing any Organization or Commission, one

needs to use the objectives of such organization to be able

to give a correct assessment of its achievements. One method

is to consider the stated objectives as stated by the plan­

ners of the system, examine the methods and techniques adopted

for implementing the objectives and determining the extent to 252 which the end products meet the requirements laid down by the objectives. For example, if the goal of participating in sports is to make friendship, then one should examine the methods and techniques used in the process and determine the extent to which sportsmen and sports women are capable of making friends. This, of course, is not a simple matter. And even when the objectives are known, and the methods are clearly identified, the end products may vary in quality or level of excellence. Some sportsmen may be able to make and keep their friends for one year while others can only keep theirs for one month.

In Chapter Five, the writer enumerated the objectives of the National Sports Commission which was established in 1971 by the Federal Government of Nigeria. The writer has, there­ fore, made use of these objectives to see how much the

National Sports Commission has achieved. Opinions of people connected with sports in Nigeria were sought on what they felt to be the achievements of the N.S.C. Their opinions are dealt with in the next chapter.

The first objective is to encourage development, organi­

zation, and participation in sports in Nigeria. In Nigeria

today, sports are well developed considering the level of

sports before the decree. Before the decree, there were only

few sports in which ahtletes could participate. Sports like

basketball, volleyball, judo, wrestling, handball, badmintion,

cycling, squash rackets, and weight lifting were not taken

seriously. There were no official national and international 253 engagements in those sports. Nowadays, Nigeria has national teams in all of those sports. Presently, there are seventeen well organized sports in the country from which men and women can select. Those sports are track and field, badminton, basketball, boxing, cricket, cycling, football, handball, hockey, judo, lawn tennis, squash rackets, swimming, table- tennis, volleyball, weight lifting and wrestling.

All the sports enumerated above are well organzied through amateur associations set up by the N.S.C. Each Asso­ ciation has a honorary chairman and a paid secretary. Each

Association is mandated to run its own sports from the grass root to the top level. Apart frcm the Associations set up by the Commission, School Sports Committees were also set up by the Ministry of Education to work in collaboration with the sports bodies.

As far as participation is concerned, the National Sports

Commission has opened avenues for participation in sports.

The National Sports Festival was established in 1973 as a biannual event. This Festival brings together over 9,000 com­ petitors every two years for active participation. There is also the annual school sports which brings together all the athletes of secondary schools and colleges. The Nigeria Uni­ versity Games bring all sportsmen and sportswomen of institu­ tions of higher learning together every two years. The Chal­

lenge Cup Competition is another avenue that brings all soc­

cer players together for active competition. All the sports

have annual inter-state sports competitions in the different 254 sports. Each of the 19 states in the country organizes the

State Sports Festival bi-annually. Apart from all these internal competitions, the N.S.C. has spread its wings out­ side the country. Nigerian athletes have participated in international competitions such as the West Africa Games, All-

Africa Games, Commonwealth Games, and the Olympic Games.

Other competitions are the African Cup of Nations (recently renamed African Cup of Unity), Africa Cup of Champion Clubs, and the Africa Cup Winners Cup.

The second objective is to co-ordinate and integrate efforts to raise the standard of performance in sports throug- out Nigeria. The National Sports Commission which is charged with the responsibility of raising the standard of perform­ ance in sports is aware of the need to secure experts in the

field of sports. The Commission has since employed the ser­ vices of qualified coaches within the country to coach differ­

ent sports. Refresher courses are constantly organized for

these coaches to acquaint them with modern techniques of

coaching. Some of these coaches have been given the opportu­

nity to have overseas training in their respective sports.

....The Commission also evolved a scheme for man power development and utilization. Scholarships donated to the Commission were awarded to nine candidates to undertake courses in various aspects of sports development, coaching, and administration. The course were tenable at institutions in Western and Eastern part of Germany which donated the scho­ larships. ..

....Notable in this sphere was the sponsorship by the Commission of its Chief National Athletic Coach, Mr. Awoture Eleyae for advanced coaching studies in the United States of America...51 255

The Commission, desirous of improving the level of perform­ ance of the nation's sportsmen and sportswomen secured the services of some coaches on the basis of technical assist­ ance. The coaches were;

1. Mr. Singh, India Hockey Coach

2. Messrs George Ptucha and R. Radi, U.S.A. Athletic Coaches

3. Mr. Heinze Marotske, Federal Republic of Germany Football Coach

4. Wu Hsiao-ming, and Hua Ling-hsia, Peoples' Repub­ lic of China Table Tennis Coaches

The next objective, which is to promote, in co-operation with other sports bodies or sports groups, the physical fit­ ness and general well-being of all persons in Nigeria, has not received adequate attention. Comparing the population of

Nigeria which is about 80 million people, only an infintesi- mal number engage in one form of sports or the other. There are still millions of people in Nigeria who do not know what modern sports mean. With the introduction of compulsory free primary education in the country, it is certain that this

aspect of the objectives will be implemented.

Another aspect of the objectives which has been imple­ mented and which is growing is the training of Nigerians to

become sportsmen and instructors in sports. For this purpose

many of the Nigerian sportsmen have been sent overseas to

study in one aspect of sports or the other. In addition to

this, the National Sports Commission opened the National

Training Institute in Lagos for the training of coaches 256 and instructors. The Institute which was estimated to cost

N200,000 ($375,000) in headed by Dr. Awoture Eleyae, the

Deputy Director of the N.S.C.

The research aspect of the objective has not been given much attention. Up till the time of writing, the N.S.C. still lacks the number of required personnel and experts to carry out research. In addition, there are no adequate facilities for research. This area needs to be given priority if Nigeria will attain the world standard in the nearest future.

On facilities, much is still required of the National

Sports Commission. Though the Commission can do very little on provision of facilities without the support of the Govern­ ment, the Commission should make the Government realize the importance of adequate facilities in developing sports. The ideal thing is to have adequate sports facilities at all the divisional headquarters in the country.

The use of sports as means of unity and understanding has been very adequate. The Nigerian Government, sports adm­

inistrators and sports lovers have emphasized the use of

sports as a unifying factor and making friends. During the

3rd National Sports Festival held in Kaduna, Nigeria in 1977,

the Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo, stressed the

importance of sports in promoting understanding and coopera­

tion among nations. He said among other things;

"....More importantly, sports competition has become a substantial instrument in international politics as it not only promotes understanding and cooperation among nations, but also serves as an effective vehicle for arousing the conscience of the world and drawi^ the world attention to burning political issues... 257

During the 1st West Africa Games held in Lagos, Nigeria in

1977, Dr. Lateef Adegbite, who was the chairman of the Orga­ nizing Committee of the Games, proved the efficacy of sports in uniting nations of the world. In his address titled

"Unity Through Sports," to the participants. Dr. Adegbite said:

"....All avenues of unity should be explored if con­ tinental and world peace is to be achieved. It is therefore fitting that sport being one of the most efficacious instruments of unity should receive a pride of place in West Africa so soon after definete steps have been taken by our political leaders to forge an economic union in the shape of E.C.O.W.A.S..."^^

The countries of West Africa have long been looking for

the avenue to get together; particularly the two major Anglo­ phone and Francophone Colonies. There has been a long history

of sporting links among most of the countries on the West

Coast of Africa. The spontenous reaction of the leaders of

sports in West African countries, giving wide support to the

idea of the E.C.O.W.A.S. Games, showed that most of the coun­

tries in West Africa were no longer interested in separate

sporting links with one another. They want to come together;

they want to bring their youths together in a meaningful

expression of the oneness of the peoples of West Africa.

Expressing his idea about the role of sports in fostering unity,

the Director of Sports, N.S.C., Mr. Isaac A. Akioye said:

"....We are all aware of the great role sports can play in fostering the unity of a people long divided' among themselves. That is one major reason why we must all be proud to be living witnesses to the historical First West Africa G a m e s . .."54 258 While organizing these various competitions to bring all the youths of West Africa together in a common tide, it, at the same time, serves as the avenue to develop the skill of the Nigerian sportsmen and sportswomen. The competitions also serve as the laying of the foundation for producing high

calibre athletes capable of winning Olympic Games, gold medals

and creating world records.

Nigeria has improved considerably in raising standards

in the field of sports since the inception of the National

Sports Commission, Nigeria has won all categories of medals

in the Commonwealth Games and the All-Africa Games. The

Nigeria Green Eagles won the first position in soccer in the

2nd All-Africa Games in 1973. Nigeria's excellence in Afri­

can Club soccer came in two consecutive years, in 1976 and

1977. The I.I.C.C. Shooting Stars won the Cup Winners Cup

Trophy in the second year that the champioship was held.

Rangers followed with a title win in 1977. In the same year,

Nigeria won the overall events in the First West Africa Games

held in Lagos.

On March 22, 1980, Nigeria ascended the throne as the

soccer 'king' of Africa when the Green Eagles beat Algeria in

the Final of the Africa Cup of Nation. Commenting on the

game, the Nigeria Sunday Times reported:

....The Nigerian representatives carved the Algerians apart, with three razor-sharp goals without getting a reply. Two spectacular goals by man-of-the-match Segun Odegbami had set Nigeria on the way to what should have been a slaughter, but midfield ace Muda Lawal who was made to play an attacking role threw 259

away three certain chances in the fiery first half that would have got the Algerians dead and buried by half time...

....However, five minutes into the second half, the Shooting Stars ace made up for his lapses when he hammered the final nail into the Algerians c o f f i n . ..55

Describing the joy and happiness of Head of State , Pre-- sident Alhaji Shehu Shagari, the Sunday Times sports reporter wrote:

....President Shehu Shagari did not hide his delight at the trend of proceedings when at the interval he came on the dais to lead the more than 100,000 Niger­ ian patriots in cheering the Eagles...

....And when he had to present the most coveted African Cup of Unity to 'Chairman, Chukwu of the blessed Eagles at the end of the day, the message of the melon-sized smile on his face was: 'I am happy you made it in my own time... 56

There were eight countries who qualified for the final

series which took place in Lagos, Nigeria. The eight coun­

tries were: Nigeria, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana,

Algeria, Guinea and Morocco. The eight countries were grouped

into A and B for the competition. Group A that played in

Lagos, Nigeria were Nigeria, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Egypt and

Group B that played at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan, Nigeria

were Ghana, Algeria, Guinea and Morocco. To reach the final

Nigeria beat Tanzania 3-1, drew with Ivory Coast 0-0, beat

Egypt 1-0, and Morocco 1-0. In Group B, Algeria qualified

for the final by drawing with Ghana 0-0, beating Morocco 1-0,

Guinea 1-0, and Algeria 2-0. Morocco came third by beating

Egypt 2-0 to the fourth place. (See Table 22 for the past

winners of the Cup.) 260

TABLE 22

WINNERS OF THE AFRICAN CUP OF (NATION) UNITY FROM 1957-1980

Year/Place Participants Winner

1957 - Sudan Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan Egypt

1959 - Egypt Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan Egypt

1 9 6 1 - Ethiopia Ethiopia, Egypt, Tunisia, Uganda Ethiopia

1963 - Ghana Ghana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Nigeria, Sudan Ghana

1965 - Tunisia Tunisia, Ghana, Congo, Ethiopia Ivory Coast, Senegal Ghana

1968 - Ethiopia Ethiopia, Aleria, Congo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Uganda, Senegal, Zaire Zaire

1970 - Sudan Sudan, Zaire, Ghana, Cameroun, Ethiopia Egypt, Guinea, Ivory Coast Sudan

1972 - Cameroun Cameroun, Congo, Kenya, Mali, Morocco Togo, Sudan, Zaire Congo

1974 - Egypt Egypt, Congo, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Uganda, Zambia, Zaire Zaire

1976 - Ethiopia Ethiopia, Egypt, Guinea, Nigeria, Morocco, Uganda, Sudan, Zaire Morocco

1978 - Ghana Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria, Upper-Volta, Congo, Tunisia, Zambia, Uganda Ghana

1980 - Nigeria Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Tanzania, Guinea Nigeria 261

Finally, the N.S.C., since its inception has done a lot to improve and develop sports in Nigeria by involving the government directly or indirectly in sponsoring athletes to international competitions both at home and abroad; by orga­ nizing different sports festivals in order to involve more

Nigerians in sports; by sending technical aids to states sports councils, national associations and universitites with the aim of improving standards and performances; and by acquiring and developing some of the existing stadia in the country, e.g., Ahmadu Bello Stadium and the Liberty Stadium.

The N.S.C. can still do a lot more to develop sports all over the country and raise the standard of performance to the world level. It is not gain-saying that the National Sports

Commission has certainly made significant progress in sports participation and administration and should be proud of its achievement. However, the Commission still needs to find ways and means of making the administrative system more effec­ tive, efficient and more responsive to the needs of all of

Nigeria. The word of John Gardner, former President of

Carnegie Corporation provides food for thought. He said:

"....A nation that scorns at excellence in plumbing because it is a humble activity and tolerates shoddi­ ness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will neither have good plumbing nor good philosophy. And neither its pipes nor its theory will hold water..."S'

All Nigerians, male and female, old and young must be alive

to achieve the best in the field of both national and inter­

national competitions. 262

Generation of Funds for Sports

It costs money to operate a program. Each addition to the staff, every mile traveled, each piece of equipment pur­ chased, every pad of paper used, and every service requested, add to the total amount expended. Meticulos preparation of the budget^careful control of expenditures, and consistent management of funds so that each financial year ends with a

balance instead of a deficit usually reflects favorably on the

individual who controls the funds.

The generation of finances for sports is a government financial resource which is concerned with all funds available for the Commission regardless of whether they are represented by money or money value (for example, facilities and equip­ ments) and regardless of whether they are reserved for speci­ fic -purposes (for example, building of a new stadium). In the

Decree which set up the N.S.C. in 1971, the government's ■: financial commitment is clearly stated:

....No government's financial assistance shall be given to national sports associations except through the Commission which shall determine' the amount and the term of the grant; and riô new grant shall be made in any case until the audited account of the > previous year, if any, have been submitted and accepted by the Commission...'®

The National Sport Commission, as well as the State Sports

Council, falls within the category of Corporations. The Sports

Commission is a statutory Corporate Body. It is different from stock companies which are private companies and exist chiefly to make profits. The Commission has a perpetual life 263 and it exists to provide facilities, equipment, and grounds to promote sports. Therefore, the finances of the Commis­ sion involve the financial principles and practices in the organization and administration of sports according to the government directive.

...The Commission shall keep proper accounts, in a form which conforms with accepted commercial stan­ dards, of its receipts, payments, assests, and lia­ bilities and shall submit the same from time to time but not less frequently than annually for auditing by a qualified auditor approved annually in that behalf by the Federal Commissioner for Finance...

In order to be able to carry out its responsibilities,

the National Sports Commission prepares a plan annually of

the expected costs of various activities to be under taken

in the coming year and of the expected revenues from various

sources. This is called "the Annual Estimate" or "the Budget".

The N.S.C. exists and depends mostly on governemènt grants.

However, the Commission's sources of finances are both inter­

nal and external. The commission receives its internal

finances from gate receipts; affiliation fees from schools,

clubs, and local sporting bodies; income from investments

such as Treasury Bills, Stadia Hire Fees for private social

gatherings; interest on staff advances; rent from Commission

quarters; penalties such as fines; and revenues from sales of

publications.

The amount of revenue to be derived from these sources

depend on the calibre and management efficiency of the

accounting or financial staff who handles it and other factors

such as : 264

1. The control mechanism adopted

2. The popularity of the sport. Whereas people hardly pay for watching athletic meetings, but the football and boxing command a large crowd. Thus football and boxing attract greater income than any other sports.

3. Efficient control at the gate to ensure that none enters without buying ticket.

4. Financial control of the tickets sold so that stealing is avoided.

5. Provision of security in printing the tickets to avoid duplication of tickets by unauthorized . people.

6. Provision of security for ticket sellers so that they are not robbed of their cash from sales.

7. Effective costing system in the case of sports goods or fixing rent on Commission property.

8. Efficient budgeting to avoid idle funds.

9. Proper custody of all receipts and efficient banking system.

The second sources of finances of sports are on the other hand made up of the followings; (a) government grants and sub­ vention which is the most reliable source of income are allo­ cated each year. Every year, and well ahead of the following year, the Federal Ministry of Finance issues a circular requesting all Ministries and Corporations to submit their

"Advance Proposals." Advance Proposals here means all antici­ pated expenditures including personal emoluments and capital projects which may result in changes of more than (.5%), of the approved estimates for the current financial year under any subhead or item. The Director of Sports then issues direc­ tives to the Chief Accountant of the Commission who also instructs the sectional Heads and units of the Commission to submit their own sectiœal advance proposals. While this is 265 in progress, the Chief Accountant on his side prepares the

"Revenue Estimates" for that Financial year for which the advance proposal is being made.

The Accountant General of the Federal Ministry of Finance fixes a day during which the Chief Accountant of the Commis­ sion defends his proposals. At times, some items of expendi­ ture may be cancelled, some figures may be reduced while in most cases the whole estimate is approved with little adjust­ ments. When the draft estimate has been approved, the com­ plete draft is prepared and sent to the president's office for final approval. When they are finally approved, they become the authority for the appropriattion of the accounts.

(b) Donations from individuals and firms are other sources of fund gneration. The revenue accruing in the form of dona­ tions from individuals and firms depends on the level of eco­ nomic and social development of the firms and the people.

Big firms usuallly sponsor sports events voluntarily for adver­ tisement purposes. Such firms make themselves popular with the government of the day. To such firms, promotion of sports is a means of business promotion. For example, the Sterling

Product Company in Nigeria has from time to time sponsored

Lawn Tennis tournaments and Swimming Gala. Such firms enjoy tax allowance on cost of promotion of sports.

Individuals too sometimes donate cash trophies and shields to schools, clubs, societies and associations. Tro­ phies and shields in this case are money substitutes, either to register their interest in sports or in cherished memory 266 of their dead ones.

(c) Another source of fund raising is through public appeal.

This relies very much on the enthusiasm of the public for sports and/or sporting events. For example, during the

Second All-Africa Games and the Third National Sports Festi­ val, in response to public appeal from the National Sport Com­ mission, there were donations in cash and kind. (See Appendix

M) .

(d) Another source of revenue for the N.S.C. is from loans and overdrafts.

However, like all other organizations, the Commission must have an efficient and effective control system over the collections and disbursement of its revenue. Control in this

sense means assurance that funds are received according to budget and spent as scheduled. To be able to do this, there must be financial records to supply information about the

sources, uses and the advantages and disadvantages in both.

There must be sufficient information partinent to proper management of its resources. This control is usually both

internal and external. The external control is exercised

by the Federal Government and its agencies. In the N.S.C.

the Federal Ministry of Finance through the Accountant Gene­

ral and the Auditor General exercises external control. The

Accountant General exercises control over the revenues and

the Auditor General's control is over expenditures. The

Auditor employed by the Commission must be a recognized

auditor. Failure to submit such financial statement could 267 delay the approval of subsequent budgets of the Commission,

The internal control of the National Sports Commission's revenues is undertaken by the Account Section under the super­ vision of the Accountant. One of the main responsibilities of this section is to encure that the Commission's funds are properly and honestly collected and accounted for promptly.

The Summary of Organization and Administration of Sports:

This chapter deals with the schools sports in Nigeria.

Schools sports are organized by the Ministry of Education through a School Sports Committee set up. The National

Sports Commission has its representative in the committee while the State Sports Councils also have representatives in the State Schools Sports Committees.

The rapid growth of sports in Nigeria led to the forma­ tion of the Central Organization for Amateur Sports (C.G.A.S.) which was composed of the National Board of Control, Regional

Committees and Provincial Committees. Another body charged with the responsibility of organizing sports in Nigeria was

the Nigerian Olympic and British Empire and Commonwealth

Games Association (N.O.B.E.G.A.). Later on, the National

Sports Council was formed to organize sports in Nigeria but

this was substituted by the National Sports Commission (N.S.C.)

which was established by decree No. 34 in 1971.

The schools sports are organized at the state level by

the Schools Sports Committees. The State Sports Councils sends personnel to schools to help in coaching some sports. 268

In school competitions, neutral officials are used to handle matches. The schools sports competitions provide avenue to

select the outstanding athletes who represent the nation in

the junior international engagements.

Opportunities abound for university students to take

part in sports through the biannual Nigeria University Games,

West Africa University Games, and the Federation of African

University Sports. Whenever Nigerian universities are

involved in these competitions, the National Sports Commis­

sion usually gives financial and technical aids.

The prominent sports festival which brings about 9,000

young athletes together every two years started in 1973. This

festival is organized by the N.S.C. to fulfill its objective

of sports for all and to discover new talents.

Nigeria has hosted the All-Africa Games which usually

brings together over forty African countries. The Nigerian

Football Association, which is under the umbrella of the

National Sports Commission, organizes the Nigeria Challenge

Cup competitions annually. This competition has improved the

standard of soccer in the country.

Though there is a shortage of man-power in the adminis­

tration of sports, the N.S.C. tries to obtain technical aids

from countries like America, Western Germany, China, India,

and Hungary.

The main source of finance to the N.S.C. is from the Fed­

eral Government of Nigeria which gives grants. Other sources

of funds are tickets, donations from individuals and firms. 269

CHAPTER V

FOOTNOTES

1 William T. Greenwood, Management and Organizational behavior Theories, (Cincinnati, South-Western Publishing Company, 1965), p. 434.

2 Powel, V.B.V, Hints on Organization of, and Training for Athletic Sports in Nigeria, (Hull; Brown & Sons, Ltd., 1924), p. 81.

3 Chief Akin-Deko, "Hisotry, Evolution and Development of National Sports Festival in Nigeria," Oluyole '79, August 30 to September 9, 1979, p. 38.

4 Oberterffer, Delbert, Physical Education, 4th Ed., New York, Harper and Row Publishers, 1973, p. 266.

5 Schimel, John L., "The Sporting and Gaming Aspects of Love and War," in Kenyon (ed), Contemporary Psychology of Sport, Chicago, Illinois, The Athletic Institute, 1978, p. 22.

6 Mirror-Sports Review, "Principals Cup Here Again," Weekly Mirror, No. 1, Volume 8, November 3-10, 1979, p. 11.

7 Ibid.

8 Daily Times of Nigeria, December 20, 1979, p. 21.

9 Letter from the Ag. Director, Institute of Physical Education University of Ife, Mr. J. Ade, Oyewusi to author, January 15, 1978.

10 Letter from L. Agge, to the author, April 20, 1980.

11 "Sixth West AFrica University Games." Programme of Events, University of Ife, Nigeria, March 19-28, 1977, p. 18. 270

FOOTNOTES CONT'D

12 Sketch SPort, "West Africa University Games," Daily Sketch, March 20, 1977, p. 16.

13 "Goodwill Message," Vice Chancellor, University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, to the Sixth W.A.U.G., Programme of Events, 1977, pp. 28-36.

14 Ibid., pp. 8-9.

15 "The Organizing Committee," Result of the 6th W.A.U.G. Held at the University of Ife, Nigeria, March 21, 1977, p. 5.

16 Ibid., p. 7

17 Extract from the Goodwill Message by the Vice Chancel­ lor, University of Cape Coast, Ghana, Professor N.G. Bakhoom, read on his behalf on the occasion of the First West Africa University Games, Ibadan, March, 1965. Closed W.A.U.G. File, University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

18 G. Benneh, History of All-Africa University Games, (University of Ghana Publication, 1975) p. 9.

19 Ibid., p. 131.

20 Open F.A.S.U. Files, University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, 1977.

21 Ibid.

22 General Olusegun Obasanjo, Head of the Federal Mili­ tary Government, Report of the 3rd National Sports Festival, Kaduna, July 22, 1977, pp. 72-74.

23 Ibid. 271 FOOTNOTES CONT'D

24 Alhaji Umaru Idris, Chairman, Organizing Committee, 3rd National Sports Festival, Kaduna, Report, p. 66.

25 Tunde Fabunmi, Secretary, Organizing Committee, 3rd National Sports Festival, Kaduna, Report, p. 12.

26 Ibid., pp. 117-118.

27 Op. cit., p. 80.

28 Op. cit., pp. 23-24.

29 Ibid., pp. 24-25.

30 Brigadier Paul Tarfa, Military Administration, Oyo State, Welcome Address, Oluyole 79, p. 6.

31 Ibid, p. 7.

32 Ibid., p. 8.

33 J. Ade Oyewusi, Report of the 4th National Sports Festival, September 2-9, 1979, p. 13.

34 Ibid, p. 149.

35 Abraham A. Odia, History of the All-Africa Games, Pamphlet produced 1973, All Africa Games in Lagos, National Sports Commission (N.S.C.) of Nigeria publication 19 73, p. 5.

36 Ibid., p. 6

37 Ibid.

38 Ibid. 272

FOOTNOTES CONT'D

39 Ibid.

40 Ibid., pp. 6-7.

41 Ordia, op. cit., p. 9.

42 Ibid.

43 Ordia, op. cit., p. 10.

44 Ibid.

45 Source; Ramadham Ali, Africa at the Olympics, (London: Africa Books Publishers Ltd., 1976), pp. 150-152.

46 Ibid., p. 12.

47 'All-Africa Games in Lagos," The New York Times, January 8, 1973, p. 36.

48 Horatio Agedah, 31st Nigeria Challenge Cup Final, Souvenir Programme, Saturday, November 20, 1976, p. 9.

49 Ibid., p. 29.

50 Ibid.

51 National Sports Commission, Annual Report, April 4, 1972 to March 31, 1973, p. 7.

52 General Olusegun Obasanjo, Opening Speech, 3rd National Sports Festival, Kaduna, July 22, 1977, Souvenir Brochure, 1st West Africa Games, 1977, Lagos, Nigeria, p. 4. 273 FOOTNOTES CONT'D

53 Ibid., Dr. Lateef Adegbite, p. 9.

54 Isaac A. Akioye, Ibid., p. 13.

55 Sports Commentator, Sunday Times, March 22, 19 80, p. 2.

56 Ibid.

57 Investment in Education: The Report of the Commission on Post Certificate and Higher Education in Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Education, Lagos, 1960.

58 Decree No. 34, National Sports Commission Decree, 1971, Gazetle No. 41, Vol. 58, August 12, 1971-Part A, P. A153.

59 Ibid. CHAPTER VI

ANALYSIS OF DATA

The preceding chapters have discussed the historical background of sports in Nigeria, some major competitions held nationally and internationally in Nigeria, the available facilities and some important personalities in sports. The chapters also dealt with the formation of national sports associations and the Sports Decree No. 34.

The writer made use of questionnaire in order to obtain additional information. In questionnaire B which went to lovers of sports, physical educators, coaches, sports adminis­ trators, effort was made to obtain data on perception of administration, progress made in sports, welfare of athletes and the achievements of the National Sports Commission. Out of the one hundred and ten questionnaire B sent out, ninety were received at the time of writing. Questionnaire A was slightly modified from B and sent to the National Sports Com­ mission Staff. Seventy-five percent of the questionnaire forms sent to the Commission was returned. (See Appendix B for the questionnaire administered.)

The response of the questionnaire was quite interesting.

The respondents agreed that sport nowadays is more than ordi­ nary recreation. This is quite true when one realizes that

274 275 sport is political and it promotes friendship and projects the nation. Sixty-eight respondents strongly agreed to this notion, twenty-one agreed while no respondent disagreed. All the respondent agreed that sports administration needs effec­ tive leadership to succeed. It was no wonder that the govern­ ment appointed the number one sports administrator in the country (Isaac A. Akioye) as the Director of the National

Sports Commission. It was also revealed by the respondents that physical educators can succeed in sport administration.

It should be remembered that sport is an integral part of physical education and as such, a good physical educator should not find it difficult to administer sport. However, twelve out of the ninety respondents did not know whether or not physical educators could succeed in sport administration.

All the respondents agreed that all sports administrators should be given a free hand to administer sports. Presently the Director is responsible to the Commissioner. The

National Sports Commission will perform better than now if it has the power to act without fears of political victimisation.

On the system of administration, all the respondents agreed that there must be democracy in sports administration.

Sixty-five strongly agreed whiel twenty-five agreed to this.

They also agreed that some minor decisions should be made at the departmental level. This system of course will speed up administrative processes. Although seventy-five respondents strongly disagreed, and ten disagreed to the use of autocracy in sports administration, thirty-one strongly agreed and 276 thirty’-nine agreed that sports administers should make use of both democracy and autocracy to succeed in sports. (See

Table 23.)

The second aspect of the questionnaire sought is know the progress made in the development of sports in Nigeria.

Sixty-three respondents strongly agreed and twenty-seven

agreed that sports has developed in Nigeria within the last

five years. The respondents also agreed that the Sports

Decree No. 34 has good effect on sports in that since the

decree was given in 1971. Competitive sports has increased

in number, and more people have been involved in sport parti­

cipation. This aspect has been well discussed in chapters

five and seven.

The creation of physical education departments in all the

Nigerian universities contributed a lot to the development of

sports. The departments have since produced well qualified

graduates who now work in various sports councils and the

National Sports Commission. In fact, some of the Directors of

Sports in the State Sports Councils are products of these

departments. The respondents confirmed that the creation of

physical education departments in our universities contributed

to sport development. Eighty-nine respondents strongly

agreed to this while only one did not know. Another factor

that contributed to sport development was the creation of more

states. With the present nineteen states in the country, there

are more avenues for inter-state competitions and more people are involved. Moreover, the states are struggling to develop 277

TABLE 23

THE RESPONSES TO QUESTIONNAIRE B (FIELD PERSONNEL) BY FREQUENCIES

Perception of Administration SA A DK D SD TOTAL

Sport is more than recreation now 68 22 - - - 90

Effective leadership is needed 65 25 0 - - 90

Physical educators succeed in sport administration 33 45 12 -- 90

Sports administrators need free hand to succeed 61 29 --- 90

Democracy improve sports 65 25 - - - 90

Autocracy improve sports - 5 - 75 10 90

Decision-making should be departmental 30 40 10 10 - 90

Democracy, autocracy and depart­ mental level should be used 31 39 5 15 - 90

SA = Strongly Agree

A = Agree

DK = Don't Know

D = Disagree

SD = Strongly Disagree 278 sports since they do not like to be behind in their develop­ ment. All ninety respondents agreed to this factor.

On the strength of the personnel, the respondents agreed that there are now more qualified personnel in the service of the Commission than before. However, they strongly wished

that the coaches and the sports organizers should be given the opportunity to have oversea training. They agreed that the coaches have made great impact on the skills of the athletes but that they could do better if given overseas training. The writer is in support of this notion simply because western

sports are foreign to Nigeria and if the Nigerians must know

these sports well, they should learn from those countries

that grew up with the sports.

Certainly, the sports facilities in Nigeria are not ade­

quate in number. This was confirmed by eighty-eight respon­

dents to the questionnaire. The respondents all agreed that

there should be adequate facilities in all the divisional

headquarters in Nigeria. They are of the opinion that facili­

ties can play an important role in developing sports in

Nigeria. Fifty-eight respondents strongly agreed and agree

that the available facilities are maximally utilized, thirty-

one disagreed while one did not know. On maintenance of the

available facilities, forty-nine respondents agreed that the

facilities are well maintained, thirty-eight disagreed, one

strongly disagreed while two did not know. (See Table 24.)

From records, it can be seen that only a few athletes have reached world mark in the field of sports in Nigeria. 27 9 T.V313 2k

THS aSS?CÎI3SS TO ;U3S3ICNÎIAI33 3 Bï ?HSÎU3CI2S

Progress and Oevelopaenr SA ADK D 33 TCTAL in Sport

Positive development 63 27 - -- 90

NSC decree has good effect on sports 30 43 3 4 - 90

Competitive sport has in­ creased 40 50 --- 90

NSC is the best way to im­ prove sports 30 47 7 6 - 90

Number of participants has increased 60 24 6 - - 90

Physical Education depart­ ments develop sports 42 47 1 -- 90

■Creation of more States aided sports developments 60 30 - -- 90

Qualified Coaches now work in the Sports Commission 2S 45 10 5 2 90

Coaches have made impact on athletes'skills 48 40 1 1 - 90

Sports personnel have opportunity for overseas training 15 20 7 43 90

Sports personnel should ViPTP nTPTPOPQ t-ra 55 35 - - - 90

Progress and Development SA A DK D 33 TCTAl in Sport

Adequate facilities improve athletes' skills 56 33 1 90

Present Sports Facilities are adequate in number 1 1 - 38 50 90

Existing facilities are well maintained - 49 2 38 1 90 - Available facilities are maximally utilized 20 33 1 31 - 90 Adequate facilities should exist in all divisions 75 15 --- 90 llore Physical, educators are involved in sport ad— '■ nistration . ’ 40 43 1 T_ - 90

SA “ Strongly Agree

A » Agree DK Don't Know

D Disagree

33 Strongly Disagree 280

For example, no Nigerian athlete has won any gold medal in the Olympic Games, The highest ever won was the bronze medal which has been mentioned in chapter four of this book. The respondents to the questionnaire also confirmed this. Forty respondents strongly disagreed, while five did not know.

Forty-five respondents agreed that some athletes have hit the world mark. Nigeria has produced two world title holders in boxing before. They were Higan Bassey and the late Dick

Tiger.

Nigeria recruited its athletes from secondary schools, colleges, universities, and the armed forces. The response given indicated that most of these athletes are recruited from the armed forces and universities. Sixty-eight out of the ninety respondents agreed that necessary encouragements are given to the athletes. Encouragements given to these athletes ranged from the award of scholarships, employment

and prizes to the award of honor. A good example of this is

the recent award of a car and a three-bedroom apartment

building offered to each of the members of the national soc­

cer team that won the African Cup of Unity in 1980. However,

more respondents believed that there is no long range plan

for the athletes. This meant that most athletes are not sure

of their future when they will not be capable of performing

actively in sports. (See Table 25.)

The responses given by the staff of the National Sports

Commission were in line with those responses given by non­

staff members in most cases. For example, the respondents 281

TABLE 25

THE RESPONSES TO QUESTIONNAIRE B (FIELD PERSONNEL) BY FREQUENCIES

Data Concerning Athletes SA A DK D SD TOTAL

Some athletes have hit world mark 18 27 5 30 10 90

Athletes are given necessary encouragement - 68 5 12 5 90

Long range plans exist for Nigerian athletes 20 15 9 41 5 90

Athletes are recruited from Secondary Schools - 47 25 13 5 90

Athletes are recruited from the Teachers’ Colleges - 50 25 10 5 90

Athletes are recruited from the Universities 12 55 18 5 - 90

Athletes are recruited from the Armed Forces 20 60 5 5 - 90

Athletes are awarded scholar­ ships 5 40 20 15 10 90

Athletes are given employment 40 37 13 - - 90

Athletes are awarded prizes 25 50 8 5 2 90

Athletes are given honor 10 60 13 7 - 90

SA = Strongly Agree

A = Agree

DK = Don’t Know

D = Disagree

SD = Strongly Disagree 282 from the Commission also agreed that adequate facilities can improve performances of the athletes and that the present available facilities in Nigeria are inadequate in number.

The only bone of contention was found in the question that deals with care of the available facilities. Observers and lovers of sports in their responses showed that both those who agreed and disagreed to the question were almost at per.

Whereas, in the responses of the staff of the Commission, sixty-five respondents agreed that the facilities are well maintained while only ten disagreed. (See Tables 26, 27, and

28} .

The responses given to the rating of the twelve factors that hinder achievement in sports were very interesting.

Twelve factors which were supposed to hinder achievement in sports were enumerated in questionnaire form A and respondents were asked to rank them in order in which they felt each one hindered achievement. These factors were inadequate equip­ ment and facilities, finance, personnel, uncompromising pub­ lic response to sport, obtaining new coaching system, changes in values and behavior norms among athletes, N.S.C. staff relations with the director and the Board, use and abuse of drugs by athletes, lack of avenues for competitions, too much added responsibility for staff, growning Federal involvement in sports. The number one hinderance to achievement as indi­ cated by the respondents was how to obtain adequate finance to run sport. Eighteen respondents ranked this factor number one, fourteen respondents ranked inadequate equipment and facilities 283

TABLE 26

THE RESPONSES TO QUESTIONNAIRE A (N.S.C.) BY FREQUENCIES

Equipment and Facilities SAA DK D SD TOTAL

Adequate equipment and faci­ lities improve performance 66 9 — — — 75

Present sports facilities are adequate in number --- 55 20 75

Existing facilities are well maintained - 65 - 10 - 75

Available facilities are maxi­ mally utilized 30 35 5 5 - 75

Adequate facilities should exist in all divisions 75 - -- - 75

SA = Strongly Agree

A = Agree

DK = Don't Know

D = Disagree

SD = Strongly Disagree 284

TABLE 27

THE RESPONSES TO QUESTIONNAIRE A (N.S.C.) BY FREQUENCIES

Data Concerning Athletes SA A DK D SD TOTAL

Nigerian athletes have met world standard 10 15 10 25 15 75

Athletes are given necessary encouragement 15 45 5 10 - 75

Long range plans exist for Nigerian athletes 10 10 10 35 10 75

Athletes are recruited from the Secondary Schools 5 25 - 30 15 75

Athletes are recruited from

the Teachers' Colleges 3 17 - 45 10 75

Athletes are recruited from the Uniersities 25 35 5 5 5 75

Athletes are recruited from the Armed Forces 35 30 - 10 10 75

Athletes are awarded scholar­

ships 40 25 - 10 - 75

Athletes are awarded employ­ ment 45 25 - 5 - 75

Athletes are awarded prizes 65 10 - - - 75

Athletes are given honor 60 15 - - - 75

SA = Strongly Agree

A = Agree

DK = Don’t Know

D = Disagree

SD = Strongly Disagree 285

TABLE 28

THE RESPONSES TO QUESTIONNAIRE A (N.S.C.) BY FREQUENCIES

Achievement Made By N.S.C. SA A DK D SD TOTAL

Marked achievement in sports 65 10 - - - 75

N.S.C. decree has good effect on sports 50 25 - -- 75

Competitive sport has increased 75 - - -- 75

Number of participants has increased 75 - - - - 75

Creation of more States aid sports development 40 35 --- 75

Well qualified personnel work in the N.S.C. 25 50 - -- 75

There is a "Sport Medicine" division at the N.S.C. 30 45 --- 75

Sports Personnel have opportu­ nity for overseas training 10 65 - - - 75

Sports personnel should have overseas training 70 5 — -- 75

SA = Strongly Abree

A = Agree

DK = Don’t Know

D = Disagree

SD = Strongly Disagree 286 as number two while eleven respondents ranked how to obtain new system of coaching as number three hinderance.

The use and abuse of drugs by athletes was rated the last hinderance. This did not come as a surprise to the writer because Nigeria is still developing and the use and abuse of drugs is still uncommon among the people. (See

Table 29 for the rating.) 287

TABLE 29.

FACTORS IMPEDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SPORTS AS RANKED BY RESPONDENTS BY FREQUENCIES

Factors No. of Responses Ranking

Obtaining adquate financial support 18 1

Inadequate equipment and faci­ lities 14 2

Obtaining new coaching system 11 3

Inadequate skilled personnel 8 4

Uncompromising public response to sport 6 5

Changes in values and behavior norms among athletes 5 6

Nonchalant attitude of the government to sports 4 7

Lack of time or two much added responsibility for staff 3 8

Growing Federal involvement in sports 2 9

Insufficient avenue for competi­ tions 2 9

N.S.C. staff relations with the Director and the Board 1 10

Factors No. of Responses Ranking

Use and abuse of drugs by athletes 1 10

Total Responses 75 CHAPTER VII

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This Study was undertaken to find out why the National

Sports Commission was set up, its operational system and its achievements in the field of sports. Efforts were made to collect information from magazines, newpapers, programs of major competitions in Nigeria, pamphlets, letters, reliable verbal information from sportsmen, and the personal experi­ ence of the investigator as a sportsman himself. To achieve

this goal, the investigator set up frameworks based on geo­ graphy, history, ecology and some traditional sports in

Nigeria.

Since the study was to determine how modern sports were

organized in Nigeria, the writer therefore, traced the history

of modern sports in Nigeria to the white people. The mis­

sionaries who came to Nigeria to preache the gospel of Christ

brought with them the games they played in their respective

countries. The British, to whose lot fell the onus of colo­

nizing Nigeria after the Colonization of Africa by the Euro­

peans, created an atmosphere likened to their home environ­

ment in Nigeria. One such atmosphere was the establishement

of schools through which sports were introduced. Having

introduced the basic skills in some games, particularly track

288 289 and field events, to the school children, the British people in Nigeria tried to introduce a special festival. It was the

Empire Day Celebration that was introduced among all the school children in the country. The Empire Day was thus introduced in 1903 but it was in 1909 that sport competitions among schools were included in the celebrations. Commenting on the Empire Day sports among the school children. Chief

Akin-Deko said;

"....Though, the Empire Day Games, comprising ath­ letics, football, and sometimes tug of war, were usually badly organized, the children, nevertheless, looked forward to it every year, with intense delight, and it was a festival that was country­ wide in scope..."!

The second phase of the investigation was to find out the development of sports competitions among schools which later on generated into formation of clubs. The missionaries in their bid to establish and promote sports in Nigeria donated shields and trophies to be competed for by schools and colle- leges. Notable among these shields and trophies were the

Ross Shield donated in 1926 by Captain W.A. Ross, the Grier

Cup donated by Selwyn Grier in 1933, the Hussey Shield donated by Mr. E.R.J. Hussey and the Governor's Shield donated by Sir

Hugh Clifford. These shield and cups were keenly competed for by the secondary schools and colleges in Nigeria and they aided participation in track and field and laid the founda­ tion of national and international engagements in sports.

The next phase of this study delt with the growth of sports in Nigeria which caused the formation of different 290 sports associations in the country. The earliest associations being those of athletics, football, table tennis, field hoc­ key, and boxing. Other associations formed in later years were for badminton, basketball, handball, cricket, judo, lawn tennis, squash racket, swimming, volleyball, weight lifting, and wrestling. At the time of this study, there were seven­ teen sports associations in Nigeria which were fully affili­ ated to the International Sports Bodies. The formation of these associations coupled with the interest of the Government in sports with a veiw to projecting the image of the country led to the establishment of the National Sports Commission by the Decree No. 34 issued in 1971. The Government felt there was the need to put all these associations under one corporate body whose duty would be to develop and promote sports in

Nigeria.

The final phase of this study discussed the administra­ tive and organizational duties of the National Sports Commis­

sion. The school sports and the university sports were also discussed. The National Sports Commission was investigated organizing different competitions at different periods. These

competitions are big time ones which served as test marks for

the administrative competence of the Commission. Such compe­

titions organized by the Commission were the biannual National

Sports Festival, the West Africa Games, the annual Interna­

tional Competition between Nigeria and Ghana, the All-Africa

Games, and the African Cup of Nation now called the African 291

Cup of Unity, Of course, the most popular single sport com­ petition, the Nigerian Challenge Cup Competition was one of them. All these competitions were successfully organized by the National Sports Commission.

Under this last phase, the writer discussed the sources of revenue to the National Sports Commission. The financing system of the Commission was controlled and run internally by the accounts section of the Commission while the external con­ trol was from the Government agency, the Federal Ministry of

Finance.

The first hypothesis, that the establishment of the

National Sports Commission has a positive effect on sports in

Nigeria revealed the overwhelming interest of Nigerians in sports. In a single sports festival in Nigeria, over 9,000 competitors have been recorded. Before the establishment of the N.S.C., only a few people took part in sports and there was no single sports festival that brought athletes all over the country together. Even the Empire Day festival brought the athletes together only on a Divisional basis. More

Nigerians have accepted sports as a way of life. Those who cannot take part in sports watch them. It is remarkable that both literates and illiterates now watch sports competitions

all over Nigeria. Record crowds had been recorded in most of

the competitions held in Nigeria. For example, in the 12th

African Cup of Nation held in Lagos, Nigeria, more than

100,000 spectators watched the Nigeria Green Eagles beat Algeria in the final played on March 22, 1980. The Governments 292 of Nigeria have accepted sports as means of keeping the body physically fit and projecting the image of a nation. The

Governments have therefore invested financially and morally in sports.

THe National Sports Commission has thus been able to involve government directly and indirectly in sponsoring ath­ letes to international competitions both at home and abroad.

Technical aids were sent to States Sprots Councils, national associations and universitites in order to improve standards and performances. The Commission is still planning to further improve on the existing facilities and to construct new ones all over the country.

The second hypothesis, that the success or failure of sports in Nigeria depends on the type of leadership and per­ sonnel is confirmed by the fact that many competitions, coach­ ing courses and refresher courses have been successfully staged under the leadership of the Director of Sports. Before the establishement of the Commission, the existence of too few qualified personnel resulted in inadequate planning and execution of policies. When the present Director of Sports,

Mr, Isaac A. Akioye, assumed the office in 1975, he made many administrative changes to improve the running of sports all over Nigeria. He, being a physical educator himself, and a sportman, was able to have an insight into how sports should be administered in the country. He made it possible for the employment of more capable coaches, sports organizers, stadium

experts, social workers, and medical personnel who catered to 293 the sports medicine units. Through his directives, a long­ term program and sports calendar were prepared and followed.

He gave adequate technical advice and supervision to all those connected with the system of the Commission, He did this through the unit leaders in the Commission, He made every officer of the Commission realize his duties and the need to perform them adequately. The evidence of his efficient lea­ dership is shown in the chain of successes by Nigerian teams in such competitions as the West Africa Games, All-Africa

Games, World Wrestling Contest, Afro-Asian Table-Tennis tourn­ aments, the Commonwealth Games and the African Cup of Nation.

When Mr. I.A. Akioye was appointed the Director of Sports for the National Sports Commission in 1975, his appointment was for three years. After the expiration of the three years, his marvelous work made the Government ask him to continue with the job and up till this time of writing, he was still the

Director of Sports.

The hypothesis that industry and technology in Nigeria has little impact on sports in Nigeria was confirmed. This might be caused by the fact that Nigeria is still developing both industrially and technologically. However, the few industrities in Nigeria made it possible for the formation of more clubs. For example, the BATA Shoe Factories of Nigeria, the Nigerian Tobaxxo Company, the Nigerian Brewery and a few others served as avenues for sports participation by forming

sports culbs. The media have been used to advertise competi­ tions and to project sports in Nigeria. However, much time 294 and space has not been given by Nigerian television. The television is no doubt a powerful medium which can be used to project sports not only to the Nigerians but also to the outside world. Video of important competitions and athletes should be used by sportsmen and women so that they might recall past performances.

The next hypothesis dealing with the production of qua­ lified personnel in the field of physical education indicated that the National Sports Commission (N.S.C.) and the States

Sports Councils were able to employ the services of these qualified physical educators. For example, the Director of

Sports of the N.S.C. is a physical educator. Most Directors of Sports of the States Sports Councils are physical educa­ tors. In the years gone by, most of these directors were people who just had interest in sports but who did not have the technical training. The establishment of the Institute of Training by the National Sports Commission made it possible for the Commission to better the skills and knowledge of coaches and organizers in sport. All the universitites in

Nigeria also have departments of physical education where qualified physical educators are being produced.

Finance was, and is still, a crucial factor in shaping the future sports in Nigeria. Before the governments of

Nigeria stepped into sports and aided it financially, it was difficult for teams and clubs to take part in important compe-

tions. Only a few people who could afford it took part in competitions. Only a few people who could afford it took part 295 in competitions held outside their own states. Competitors were confined to local competitions and even Nigerian teams participated in a few number of international competitions.

Even then, a lot of appeals for funds would have to be made for the team to take part in such a competition. Presently, the Federal Government of Nigeria has been allocating reve­ nues annually to the Commission since its establishment. This not withstanding the Commission still has to appeal for financial support from the individuals and firms. A good example was the fund-raising exercise by the N.S.C. during the Third National Sports Festival in Kaduna in 1977. (See

Appendix M.)

The last hypotheses, that considerable achievement has been nade in sports was confirmed also. There has been much improvement in sport by the Nigerian athletes and honors have been won by these athletes. The writer has enumerated some of these achievements in chapter five of this book.

CONCLUSIONS

From this study, the writer was able to arrive at the following conclusions;

1. Sports were introduced to Nigeria by the British

people who colonized the country.

2. Sports were able to gain ground in Nigeria because

the Nigerians like them and because Nigerian

society has few alternatives. The traditional 296 sports that could have compteted with the modern

sports were informal rather than formal and

where formal, they were not organized on a large

scale.

3. Sports were promoted, at the early period, by

mostly sailors, traders, missionaries and mili­

tary officers who came to Nigeria when it was

colonized by the British. The colonial masters

showed no deep interest in Nigeria's participa­

tion in international sports competitions out­

side its colonies in West Africa. Their pre­

occupation was to rule and acquire the wealth of

the country. Nigeria's involvement in multi­

racial international competitions like the Com­

monwealth and Olympic Games between 1950-1960

were motivated by the Nigerians themselves. They

were, however, supported by some interested

foreigners such as the military personnel and

missionaries.

4. The Empire Day Sports celebration which came up

every May 24 each year, and which was introduced

by the British in Nigeria in 1903, was the foun­

dation of sports competitions in Nigeria. It

was from this idea that the inter-school, inter­

house, inter-collegiate and inter-club competi­

tions sprang. 297

5. Formation of sports associations in the country

led to the establishment of the N.S.C, which was

charged with the responsibility of coordinating

the work of the associations. The National

Sports Commission (N.S.C.) was established by

Decree No. 34 in 1971 to take up the responsi­

bility of developing and promoting sports all

over Nigeria. The N.S.C. is being helped by

the Nigerian Olympic Committee and the Supreme

Council for Sports in Africa in the administra­

tion of international competitions like the All-

Africa Games and the Olympic Games.

6. Both the National Sports Commission and the

States Sports Councils have identical organi­

zational structures. Each of the two bodies

has the Director of Sports as its executive

head. The pattern of sports administration is

also identical to the two bodies. Both have

units like the Coaching, Organizing, Stadium,

Medical, Accounts, School Sports and Central

Administration. The N.S.C. channels all

national and international competitions.

7. There are School Sports Committees in all the

states of Nigeria which caters for the school

competitions. The National Sports Commission

and the States Sports Councils however, have 298

representatives on the committees. Both bodies

also send technical aids to the schools.

8, All the universities in Nigeria also have their

own sports competitions. They formed the associ­

ation known as the Nigeria University Games

Association and commonly called N.U.G.A. This

association was formed in July, 1965 at a meet­

ing held in Ibadan, Nigeria. The association

organizes the N.U.G.A. Games every two years.

The association also send teams to the Federa­

tion of African University Sports (F.A.S.U.) and

the Federation International du Sports Universi­

taire (F.I.S.U.). Only very few of the univer­

sity students have represented the nation in

international compeititions.

9. The introduction of the National Sports Festival

has been a blessing to sports in Nigeria. It

has offered opportunity to more people to parti­

cipate in sports. Moreover, it has served as the

avenue for thousands of Nigerians to gather

together and compete in different sports. It has

served as a unifying factor for the nineteen

states in the country and a source of friendship

among the youths.

10. With the firm establishment of the National Sports

Commission, the States Sports Councils, the

National Sporst Festival, and the Challenge 299

Cup Competition, Sport has come to stay in Nigeria.

11. The sources of revenue to the National Sports

Commission are through grants from the Federal

Government of Nigeria, donations from individuals

and groups, firms and clubs, affiliation fees

from clubs and proceeds from sports like soccer

and boxing.

RECOMMENDATIONS

There is no doubt that the National Sports Commission is doing well in its efforts to promote and develop sports in the nation. However, much can still be done to improve the lot of sports in Nigeria. The following recommendations are given to serve as a lime-light to the development of sports.

These recommendations are based on the respondents ranking of the factors impeding achievement in sports; (See Table 29.)

1, The Government of Nigeria should give out more

money for the administration of sports. After

all, the Government has accepted sports knowing

the importance of sports physically, politically,

socially and economically. The lack of sufficient

provision of funds for sports does not only pre­

vent participation but also denies the generality

of the people opportunity to watch sports as re­

creation. The interest of such people is demon­

strated by their mass response in donation, no

matter how small, to Appeal Funds for sports from 300

time to time. On the part of the Commission, it must explore all avenues of increasing its funds.

Sports and games which generate funds should be

explored to the fullest. They should not only be

frequent among home teams, but as much as possible,

home teams should play with foreign teams. The

Commission should invest its excess funds. For

example, instead of holding large sums in deposit

accounts, the N.S.C. could embark upon property

development such as building hotels which sports­ men could reside in during camping and blocks of

offices for letting. The project may have to re­

pay any loan on itself for the first few years

after completion but after liquidating such a

loan, its rent becomes almost net earnings for

the use of the Commission of sports.

Lack of adequate facilities has always been detri­

mental to sports development in any nation. No

doubt about it, the facilities for sports in

Nigeria are not adequate. The National Sports

Commission should influence the Government of

Nigeria to provide more facilities in the country.

Just recently, the President of Nigeria, Athaji

Shehu Shagan presented all the members of the

Nigeria Green Eagles who won the African Cup of

Nation in March, 1980, a car and a three-bedroom flat each to show aprreciation. The investigator 301

is not against the award of incentives but such

incentives must be properly weighed before the

award. The investigator would have loved to see

that money being spent on the first phase of an­

other sports stadium in Nigeria and be named

after the team— "The Green Eagles Stadium."

3. There is enough evidence that Nigeria spends a

lot of money on sports goods as seen in the

National Sports Festival which involved seven­

teen sports and over nine thousand (9,000) ath­

letes, each well equiped for his/her sport. It

is recommended that the Government should estab­

lish factories that will produce these sports

goods and equipment. Not only the athletes will

be benefited but also all the schools and col­

leges in Nigeria will benefit. Also, neighbor­

ing countries will seize advantage of proximity

to purchase their sports goods from such fac­

tories .

4. All the coaches and sports organizers in the

services of the National Sports Commission should

be given the opportunity to further their educa­

tion and/or to have constant refresher courses

in the field of sports coaching and organization.

This can be done in any country which has the

personnel, equipment, and facilities. 302

5. The respondents to questionnaire A which went to

the N.S.C, ranked "Uncompromising public response

to sport" number five. In order to obtain the sup­

port of the public, efforts should be made to edu­

cate the entire public on the importance of sport.

This type of education should be given through

radio, television, newspapers, campaigns, public

meetings, and the use of slogans and posters.

6. Since athletes are human beings like the non­

athletes, there can be occasional changes in values

and behavior norms among these athletes. However,

the N.S.C. should have adequate sport psychologists

in its research division so that the behavior of

these athletes can be studied from time to time

for positive utility. It will be the responsi­

bility of these sport psychologists to advise the

athletes from time to time.

7. As to the nonchalant attitutde of the government

to sports which was ranked seventh by the respon­

dents, the N.S.C., which is a body of sports ex­

perts, should try to educate the government through

constant interaction on current trends in world

sports. Sports writers, commentators and physi­

cal educators should also make their opionions

known on the need for full government's support

for effective sporting activities. 303

8. Lack of time or too much added responsibility

for staff was ranked eighth. The N.S.C. should

make provision for more members of staff so that

each officer should be able to face his/her

assignment effectively. It is therefore recom­

mended that there should be one sport for one

secretary or organizer. Where practicable, the

secretary or the organizer should have an

assistant.

9. Though, it is not politically possible to elimi­

nate the government's involvement in sports since

the government throws money into it, the govern­

ment however, should not make its involvement

obligatory but supportive. In other words, the

government should act as an advisor.

10. Insufficient avenue for competitions was ranked

ninth by the respondents. Presently, the N.S.C.

has created more avenues for competitions but

efforts should be made to maintain and increase

these avenues. For example, the type of league

matches organized in soccer should be organized

in other team games.

11. National Sports Commission staff relationship

with the Director and the Board was ranked last.

This was a credit to the Director of the N.S.C.

The cordial relationship between the Director 304

and his staff should be maintained and improved.

12. The use and abuse of drugs by athletes was also

rated last as a factor impeding achievement in

sports. The Sports Medicine division of the

N.S.C. should make sure that the use and abuse

of drugs is not rampant among the athletes.

Prevention is always better than cure.

Apart from the recommendations based on the respondents ranking of the factors impeding achievement in sports, the author also adds the following recommendations based on his personal experience and literature:

1. A research unit is long overdue to be established

at the N.S.C. Those countries that have made marks

in world sports have engaged themselves in research

into the performances of athletes. In order to

carry out research in the field of sports, efforts

should be made to secure the services of well-

qualified personnel and adequate facilities.

2. The National Sports Commission should attach

sport centers to all of our universities which

will serve as training grounds for such sports.

For example, if a university is noted to have been

constantly producing good teams in certain sports

and if that university also has good and adequate

facilities for such sports, the Sports Commission

should attach athletes in such sports to that

university. This could be done at the early 305

ages of the athletes and as they progress in

skills, the nation should make use of them in

international competitions. These athletes are

not necessarily the student athletes of the uni­

versities .

3. One of the objectives of the N.S.C. is to pro­

vide means of recreation to the entire populace

of the country. This objectives has not been

looked into at all. It is the opinion of the

investigator that the National Sports Commission

should provide more recreational centers, parks,

and open spaces that could afford all, not only

the opportunity to practice sports, but also to

enjoy recreation. Effective management and

administration of sports, should aim at provid­

ing all with the right and the opportunity to

acquire the skills, knowledge, and personal

growth that are possible in sports and physical

education.

4. The N.S.C. should give more free hand to all the

National Sports Associations so that they can

evolve their own programs to the best advantage.

Moreover, capable, and qualified people in the

field of sports should be appointed to serve in

the national sports associations.

5. The Nigerian University Games Association should intensify their activities in the field of sports 306 so that they may meet up to the challenge that

our universities should produce the bulk of our

national athletes. This means that all the depart­

ments of physical education in all the universi­

ties should expand their programs and equip the

departments with adequate personnel and facilities.

The Government, on the other hand, should throw

more money into the universities for this purpose.

6. The National Sports Commission should have a pro­

jected plan for the Nigerian athletes so that their

future might be secured at the time they will not

be be able to participate actively again in sports.

Such a plan could be either on education or security

of job.

7. The Commission should find ways of improving the

nutrition of the athletes. One good way of doing

it is by conducting research into the food the

Nigerian athletes are eating before and after

practice and competition. Experts on good nutri­

tion should be employed to cater for the services

of the athletes.

8. There should be a closer association between the

National Sports Commission and the States Sports

Council on one hand and the Nigeria Association for

Physical Health Education and Recreation on the

other. Such close association will bring unity 307

and cooperation in developing sports from all

angles.

9. The present Institute of Training situated in Lagos

should be expanded and similar ones should be

established in strategic places in the country.

Each institute could specialize in the training

of a particular sport.

10. All the media in Nigeria should be made use of by

the N.S.C. One of the best ways to promote sports

is by projecting it through the available media.

In fact, the National Sports Commission and the

States Sports Council should make use of the

television and radio commercially. In some

developed countries, a lot of money is realized

in sports throught the coverage given by tele­

vision and radio.

11. The Commission should influence the Government

to build a "Pillar of Fame: or "Rock of Fame" for

the rememberance of outstanding Nigerian athletes.

This study has revealed that Nigeria has produced

a lot of sportsmen and some sportswomen who should

be honored by the erection of such a building.

Such a building can contain sports facilities,

lodging places and restaurants that will fetch

money for the Sports Commission.

12. The N.S.C. should now aim at hosting other bigger games such as the Commonvrealth and the Olympic Games. 308

CHAPTER VII

FOOTNOTES

1 Chief Akin-Deko, “History, Evolution and Development of National Sports Festival in Nigeria," Oluyole '79 Souvenir Program, August 30 to September 9, 1979, p. 38. 309

APPENDICES 310

APPENDIX A

Letter Written to Questionnaire Respondents 311

The Ohio State University School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation 1760 Neil Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43210 Phone 614 422-2615

February 19, 1980

Dear Sir/Madam:

Joseph Ade. Abioye, a Ph.D. candidate at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio is interested in finding out about the establishment of the National Sports Commission and its achievements. He has therefore, designed a questionnaire that will ascertain the working system of the Commission and the achievements so far made since the sports decree of 1972. It is the in­ vestigator's belief that an inquiry into the administrative structure of the National Sports Commission and its impact on sports development in Nigeria will be enlightening concerning the effects of the Commission. It is hoped too that it will be an incentive for all connected with sports to work for an improvement of present sporting conditions.

The value of this survey and the worth of its findings are dependent on your cooperation and willingness in answering the questionnaire. It is the investigator's belief that the importance of the study will justify the time you give it.

We would appreciate your cooperation in completing the enclosed question­ naire and returning it to the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation or bearer as soon as possible. We assure you that your answers will be held in confidence. The result of the study will be reported in an appropriate manner.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Sincerely yours.

Joseph Ade Abioye, Ph.D. Candidate

Seynmur Kleinmai Prey essor Dissertation Adviser

SK/lp

College of Education 312

a p p e n d i x b

Questionnaire 313

Joseph Me. Abioye, School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation ïhe Ohio State University 1760 Neil Avenue 309 Pcmerene Columbus, Ohio 43210 U. S. A.

QUESTIONNAIRE "A" : THE ESTABLISHMENT AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE

NATIONAL SPORTS COMMISSION IN NIGERIA.

NOTE: This questionnaire is strictly for the Officials of the National Sports

Commission, Nigeria and their support is solicited and if given will aid

the researcher in gathering data which can have a positive influence on

the future development of sports in Nigeria.

Kindly circle the number of the response that best represents your situation.

I DATA CONCERNING INDIVIDUAL CCMPLETING QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Age

1. Under 25 4. 40 - 49

2. 26 - 30 5. 50 or over

3. 31 - 39

2. Sex

1. Male 2. Female

3. Qualifications:

1. B. A., B. Sc., M. A., M. Sc., Ph. D.

2. Diploma, N.C.E.

3. Certificate in Physical Education, Teachers' Grade II Certificate,

West African School Certificate

4. Others 314

4. Present Position

1. Director/Deputy Director

2. Assistant Director

3. Controller of Stadia/Stadium Manager

4. Sport Organizer/Secretary

5. Coach

6. Accountant/Account Officer

5. How many years have you, been in the Sports Commission?

1. 1 - 3 years

2. 4 - 5 years

3. 6 - 10 years

4. Over 10 years

6. What is your specific duty?

1. Administration

2. Organizing Sports

3. Coaching Sports

4. Caring for Facilities

5. Accounting

6. Teaching/Research

7. Hew many sports do you coach or organize?

1. None 4. Three

2. One 5. More than three

3. Two

8. % teams have competed in the following

1. Olympic 4. Ccnroonf-Wfealth Games

2. All African Games 5. ECCWAS Games

3. National Sports Festival 6. Others 315

II SPORTS ORGANIZERS/SECRETARIES ONLY

9. I organize the following sports

1. 2. ______

3. ______

4.

10. The Chairmen of my sports are

1. 2.

11. The Chairm^Chairmen of ity sport/s is/are

1. Physical education professional

2. Reknowned athlete

3. Interested in sports

4. None of the above

12. Meetings of the Association to vihich I belong are held

1. Twice a month

2. Monthly

3. Quarterly

4. Occasionally

13. My Association is directly responsible to

1. The Director

2. The Deputy Director

3. The Canmission

4. Both Director and Cotmission 316

14. Within the last 5 year period my teams have won

1. Gold medal

2. Silver medal

3. Bronze medal

4. Trophy

5. None

6. Gold, silver and bronze medals

15. Awards were won in

1. Olympic Games

2. All African Games

3. Inter-State Compétition

4. Ccranonwealth Games

5. African Cup Series

6. Other

III FINANCE

16. % sports are financed by;

1. The Federal Government of Nigeria

2. The National Sports Commission

3. Through gate fees

4. Sponsors

5. NSC/Gate fees

6. All of the above

17. The Annual Budget for equipment, competition, travelling and players'

allowances is roughly:

Year Sport/s Budget

1975 N ______

1976 N 317

Year Sport/s Budget

1977 N

1978 N

1979 N

18. The budget allotted for itty sports is:

1. Sufficient

2. Barely enough

3. Not enough

■ 4. I don't know

IV COACHES ONLY - Data on Sport

19. I coach the following sport/s:

1. ______

2.

3. ______

4.

20. Presently, I coach the:

1. National team

2. State team

3. Club team

4. School team

21. The facilities that I am using are

1. Very adequate

2. Adequate

3. Barely adequate

4. Extremely inadequate 318

22. The equipment that I use for coaching is

1. Standard and sufficient

2. Standard but not sufficient

3. Sufficient but not standard

4. Cumberscme

5. None of the above

23. The selection of iry teams is solely done by

1. The coach

2. The selection canmittee and the coach

3. The selection committee alone

4. The players themselves

5. Both the coach and the players

V PROGRESS AND ACHIEVEMENTS MADE BY N.S.C. IN SPORTS

Circle the number fran 1 - 5 that shows to viAiat extent you agree with the following statements:

Strongly Agree Don't know Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree

24. There has been a marked achievement in sports in the last 5 years ------

25. The National Sports Cotmission (NSC) Decree 1971 has had a good effect on sports in

26. The number of cotpetitive sports has increased since the NSC decree ------319

Strongly Agree Don't know Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree

27. There has been an increase in the number of partici­ pants in coirpetitive sports.— 1

28. The creation of Physical Education Departments in Nigerian Universities has contributed to sport development. ------

29. The creation of more States helps the NSC to achieve more success in sports. ---

30. One achievement of the NSC is the appointment of well- qualified personnel to its divisions. —— ————————————— — 1

31. Another achievement of the NSC is the establishment of the "Sport Medicine" Division. 1

32. All Coaches and Sport Organizers have the opportunity to train overseas. ------1

33. Every Coach and Sport Organizer should have the opportunity to train abroad.— 1

VI DATA ON EQUIPMEM' AND FACILITIES

34. Adequate equipment and facilities can improve the skills of the athletes. ----

35. The present sport facilities in Nigeria are adequate in number. ------320

Strongly Agree Don't know Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree

36. The existing facilities are well maintained. —

37. The available facilities are maximally utilized. —

38. For greater achievement in sport, there should be standard sport facilities in each divisional head-

VII: DATA CONCERNING "ATHLETES" (GENERAL TERM)

39. Nigerian athletes have met the world standard (mark).— 1

40. Athletes are given necessary encouragement for partici­ pation. ------1

41. Long range plans exists for all Nigerian athletes. 1

42. Most athletes representd.ng Nigeria are recruited from

1. Secondary school only

2. Teachers' Colleges only

3. Ikiiversities only

4. The Armed Forces only

5. Club sides

6. All of the above 321

43. The kind of encouragement given to athletes is: (Circle as many you think are positive)

1. Scholarship award

2. Employment

3. Prize award

4. Honor

5. Other (specify)

44. Please, rank the following factors from 1 - 12 in the order in which you feel each one hinders achievement. If you feel no.5 is the greatest hindrance rank it no. 1 and proceed accordingly until you have ranked the least hindrance as no. 12.

Factors No.

1. Inadequate equipment and facilities

2. Obtaining adequate financial support

3. Inadequate skilled personnel

4. Unconpromising public response to Sport

5. Obtaining new coaching system

6. Changes in values and behavior norms among athletes

7. NSC staff relations with the Director and the Board

8. Use and abuse of drugs by athletes

9. Insufficient avenue for conpetitions

10. Lack of time or too much added responsibility for Staff

11. Growing Federal involvement in sports

12. Nonchalant attitude of the government to sports 322

VIII PERSONAL OPINION

Kindly write in a short paragraph ej^ressing your opinion about

the achievements of the Sports Commission during the past few years

______Please use ball pen for this.

Kindly return the corrpleted questionnaire to the above address or bearer.

Thank you

Joseph Me. Abidye 323

Joseph Me. Abioye School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation The Ohio State University 1760 Neil Avenue 309 Pomerene Columbus, Ohio 43210 U. S. A.

QUESTIONNAIRE "B" : THE ESTABLISHMENT AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE NATIONAL

SPORTS ccmussim in Nigeria

MARKING INSTRUCTIONS

Your support is solicited and if given will aid the researcher in

gathering data vÆiichcan have a positive influence on the future

development of sports in Nigeria. Use a pencil please.

Circle the number of the response that best represents you.

I. DATA CONCERNING INDIVIDUAL COMPLETING QUSTIONNAIRE

1. Age

1. Under 25 4. 40 - 49

2. 26 - 30 5. 50 or over

3. 31 - 39

2. Sex

1. Male 2. Female

3. î'Jhere do you work?

1. National Sportzs Commission

2. State Sports Council

3. University

4. college of Education

5. Student

6. High School or Teachers' College 32.4

4. What is (are your present responsibility (responsibilities)?

1. Sport Administrator and Director

2. Sport Organizer

3. Teaching physical education/coaching

4. Coaching

5. Controller of Stadia/Stadium Manager

6. Studying physical education

5. At vÆiat level do you administer, organize or coach?

1. Club 5. High School / Teachers' College

2. State 6. Learning

3. University

4. College of Education

6. Whcm do you teach/coach?

1. Boys only 4. Co-ed classes only

2. Girls only 5. Separate and co-ed classes

3. Boys and girls 6. Other

7. How many sports do you coach/organize?

1. None 4. Three

2. One 5. More than three

3. IWo

8. % teams have conpeted in the following;

1. Olympic

2. All African Games

3. National Sports Festival

4. NUGA Games

5. State

6. Other 325

II. FINANCE

9. My sports are financed by:

1. The Federal Government of Nigeria

2. The State Government of Nigeria

3. The University

4. The College of Education

5. The Students' Sport fund

6. Gate fees

10. The Annual Budget for my sports for equipment, conpetition, travelling and allowances is roughly:

Year Sports Budget

1975 N

1976 N

1977 N

1978 N

1979 N

III. PERCEPTIONS OF ADMINISTRATION

Circle the number 1 - 5 that shows to vbat extent you agree with the following statements:

Strongly Agree Don't know Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree

11. Sports nowadays is more than personal recreation. — 1 2 3 4 5

12. Effective leadership in sports will lead to a successful program. ---

13. Physical Education profes­ sionals in sports admini­ stration have the most effect on successful sports administration. ------326

Strongly Agree Don't know Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree

14. Sports administrators should be given a free hand to operate successfully. ----- 1

15. Democratic administration can iitprove sports ad­ ministration. ------—

16. Autocratic administration (one person at the top) is good for sport develop­ ment. ------

17. Decision making should be allowed at the departmental

18. For a very effective ad­ ministration in sports, numbers 15, 16, and 17 should be used. ------

IV. PROGRESS IN IHE DEVELOPMENT OF SPORT

IN NIGERIA

19. There is a marked development in sports administration within the last 5 years.------1

20. The National Sports Cormission (NSC) Decree 1971 has had a good effect on sport in Nigeria. - 1

21. The number of compétitive sports has increased since the NSC decree. — — —————————— —— 1

22. The National Snorts Cormission is the best way to improve Nigerian international sport. — 1 327

Strongly Agree Don't know Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree

23. There has been an increase in the number of partici­ pants in competitive sports.

24. The creation of Physical Education Departments in Nigerian Universities has contributed to sports development. ------

25. The creation of more States helps the development of sports in Nigeria. ------

26. More physical educators are in volved in sports ad­ ministration than before •the sports decree was made. —

27. Well qualified coaches are now in the service of the National Sports Commission. —

28. The coaches have made a great impact in improving the skills of athletes.------—--- —---- 1

29. All Coaches and Sport Organizers have the opportunity for over­ seas training.------—— —----- 1

30. Every Coach and Sports Organizer should have the opportunity for overseas training. ------1

31. Adequate facilities can improve the skills of the athletes. -- 1

32. The present sports facilities in Nigeria are adequate in 328

Strongly Agree Don't know Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree

33. The existing facilities are well naintained.---

34. The available facilities are maximally utilized. -

35. For the needed development in sports there should be standard sports facilities in each divisional head-

V. DATA CONCERNING 'ATHLETES' (GENERAL TERM)

36. Some of these athletes have hit the world mark.------

37. Sportsmen and Sportswomen are given necessary encourage­ ment for participation. ----- 1

38. Long range plans exist for all Nigerian athletes.------1

39. Most athletes representing Nigeria are recruited from

1. Secondary Schools only

2. Teachers' Colleges only

3. Universities only

4. The Armed Forces only

5. All of the above

40. The kind of encouragement given to athletes is:

1. Scholarship award 4. Honor

2. Employment 5. Any other- specify

3. Prize award 329

VI. PERSONAL OPINION

41. Kindly write in a short paragraph expressing your opinion about the

achievement of the Sports Comnission during the past few years.

Kindly return the completed questionnaire to the above address or bearer.

Thank you 330

APPENDIX C

Sports Ambassadors 331

NIGERIA'S SPORTS AMBASSADORS TO

COMMONWEALTH GAMES, 1950-1974

1950 Commonwealth Games. Auckland

Athletic Team:

1. R.A.B. Olowu (captain) 100 m. and long jump 2. J. 0. Majekodunml High jump 3. B.A.A. Guohadla High jump 4. J. S. Olotu Pole vault

Team Official:

5. E. A. Miller - Team manager

1954 Vancouver, Canada Games

Athletic Team:

1. S. 0. Williams (captain) - Long jump 2. K.A.B. Olowu (vice captain) 100 m., long jump and 4 x 100 m. relay 3. A. K. Amu - 100, 200 and 4 x 100 m. relay 4. M. A. Arogundade - 100, 200 and 4 x 100 m. relay 5. E. A. Ajado - 100 and 4 x 100 m. relay 6. E. Ifeajuna - High jump 7. P. Eslrl - Triple jump 8. M. B. Osagle - High jump 9. T. Erlnle - 200 m.

Boxing Team:

10. Garuba Ide Ban weight 11. Ado Garuba Fly weight

Team Officials:

12. Jack Farnsworth Team manager 13. Harding Ekperlgln Team coach 332

1958 Cardiff, Wales Games

Athletic Team (men):

1. K.A.B. Olowu (captain) Sprints, long jump, 4 x 100 m. relay 2. G. A. Esan (vice captain) 100 and 4 x 100 m. relay 3. V. Odofln Long jump, 100 and 4 x 100 m. relay 4. S. E. Akraka Sprints, 4 x 100 m. relay 5. T. Obi 100 m. and 110 m. hurdles 6. P. B. Engo Triple jump 7. S. A. Akpata Triple jump 8. J. Chlgbolu High jump 9. J. Omogbeml 200 m. 10. S. A. Oloko 110 m. hurdles 11. K. K. Duncan 110 m. hurdles 12. J. S. Olotu Pole vault 13. 0. Odobo High jump 14. V. I. Gabriel High jump 15. R. A. Arogundade 400 m. 16. S. Oladapo 400 m. 17. B. A. Agbeblyl 800 m. and 1 mile 18. 0. Orlakhl Pole vault 19. E. A.B. Adeleye 800 m. and 1 mile 20. E. Jeylfous Triple jump 21. L. I. Ogbogu Shot put and discus 22. E. A. Ovblagele Shot put and discus 23. P. O.C. Ozleh Javelin 24. 0. Okuwobl High jump

Athletic Team (women):

25. Florlta lyo (captain) Long jump, hurdles and 80 m. 26. E. A. Adeyeml High jump 27. 0. Onwuchekwa 4 X 100 m. relay 28. V. Odogwu High jump and 4 x 100 m. relay 29. Shade Payne 4 X 100 m. relay 30. E. Okoll High jump

Boxing Team:

31. Gbadegesln Salau Heavy weight 32. Afodu Light middle weight 33. Michael Usebu Welter weight

Swimmers :

34. Horace Kantu 100 m. freestyle 35. J. Ofongo 100 m. freestyle 333

Officials:

36. V.B.V. Powell - Team manager general 37. S. 0. Jolaoso - Team secretary/treasurer 38. 0. A. Omololu - Team patron 39. Col. Willis - Boxing team manager 40. J. A. Adeola - Team manager (men) 41. Mrs. Mary Niblett - Team manager (women) 42. J.B.O. Ojo - Coach 43. J. Johnson - Honourary masseur in U. K. 44. D. L. Pugh - Honourary coach U. K.

i Kingston. Jamaica Games

Athletic Team (men):

1. S. Igun - Triple jump and high jump 2. K. Agbabokha - 400 m. hurdles 3. G. Ogan - Triple jump 4. D. Ejoke - 100, 200 and 4 x 100 m. relay 5. 0. Peters - 100, 200 and 4 x 100 m. relay 6. S. Aslodu - 100, 200 and 4 x 100 m. relay 7. F. Sobande - High jump ___ 8. T. Erinle - Hurdles and 4 x 100 m. relay 9. 0. Adekunle — 100 m. 10. P. Nwaokoro - 400 m. 11. B. Ma j ekodunmi - 400 m. 12. A. Belleh - Hurdles 13. P. Anukwa - Discus

Athletic Team (women):

14. V. Odogwu - Long jump, 80 m. hurdles 15. 0. Akindele - 100, 200 and 4 x 100 m. relay 16. J. Bodunrln - 100, 200 and 4 x 100 m. relay 17. M. Jlnadu - 100, 200 and 4 x 100 m. re^ay 18. R. Okafor - 100, 200 and 4 x 100 m. relay 19. T. Adeleke - 400 and 800 m.

Boxing Team:

20. M. Hdukwu - Bantam weight 21. A. Andeh - Light weight 22. F. Ayinla - Light-heavy weight 23. M. Malyegun - Light-middle weight 24. R. Gbadamosi - Welter weight 25. J. Dele - Feather weight 334

Swimming Team:

26. J. Afekafe - 100 m. freestyle 27. C. Adeingupu - 100 m. and 200 m. back si

Officials:

28. Lt. Col. M. Okwechime - Chairman National Sports Council 29. Mr. Chinwuba - Team manager 30. Dr. A. Eleyae - Athletics coach 31. Mr. J. Omogbeml - Athletics coach 32. Mr. H. Bassey M.B.E. - Boxing coach 33. Mr. R. Watts - Swimming coach 34. Dr. A. A. Efunkoya - Team doctor

1970 Edinburgh, Scotland Games

Athletic Team (men):

1. S. Igun (captain) - High jump and triple jump 2. K. Abdullai - 100 and 4 x 100 m. relay 3. Aboyade Cole - Sprints 4. J. Abidoye - 800 and 1,500 m. 5. K. Agbabokha - 400 m. hurdles and 4 x 400 m. relay 6. G. Agbamu - 4 X 400 m. relay 7. A. Akinkuotu - 4 X 400 m. relay 8. A. F. Belleh - 110 m. hurdles 9. A. Egwunyenga - 400 and 4 x 400 m. relay 10. B. Ma j ekodunmi - 100, 200 and 4 x 100 m. relay 11. M. Makama - 400, 4 X 400 m. relay 12. R. Ojo - 200, 4 X 100 m. relay 13. A. Odelusi - 200, 4 X 100 m. relay 14. 6. Ogan - Long jump, triple jump 15. T. Oyebami - 100, 4 X 100 m. relay 16. 0. G. Peters - 100, 200 and 4 x 100 m. relay 17. M. Dogon-Yaro - 400, 800 and 4 x 400 m. relay

letic Team (women):

18. D. Adekoya — 200, 4 X 100 m. relay 19. J. Bodunrin - 100, 200 and 4 x 100 m. relay 20. E. Edet - 100 m., 100 m. hurdles, long jump and 4 x 100 m. relay 21. J. Omorege - 100, 200 and 4 x 100 m. relay 22. M. Oshikoya - High jump, 4 x 100 m. relay and pentathlon 23. R. Urhobo - 100 m . , 4 X 100 m. relay 335

Boxing Team:

24. A. Adeyemi - Light weight 25. A. Andeh - Light-welter weight 26. K. Armah - Feather weight 27. F. Ayinla - Light-heavy weight 28. C. Durango - Fly weight 29. N. Ekwehun - Heavy weight 30. I. Ikhuoria - Middle weight 31. J. Mensah - Welter weight 32. E. Nduktm - Bantam weight 33. G. Gogun - Light-fly weight 34. F. Oviawe - Light-middle weight

Team Officials:

35. Chief J.B.O. Ojo - Team Manager 36. Dr. A. Eleyae - Team coach 37. Mr. G. Dibia - Assistant team boach 38. Miss Tonia Ahabue - Chaperon 39. Mr. E. L. Jegede - Team manager (boxing) 40. Mr. Hogan Bassey M.B.E. - Team coach

Headquarters Staff:

41. Col . E.E.O. Adefope - Commandant 42. Mr. S. 0. Jolaoso M.B.E. - General team manager 43. Mr. A. A. Ordia M.B.E. - Secretary/treasurer 44. Dr. A. A. Efunkoya - Team doctor 45. Mr. W. B. Thompson - Masseur

1974 Chrlstcnurch. New Zealand Games

Athletics Team (men):

1. A. Olakunle — 100 m . , 200 m.y 4 X 100 m. relay 2. A. Phillips — 100 m . , 4 X 100 m. relay 3. B. Majekodunmi — 100 m . y 4 X 100 m. relay 4. K. Abdullal — 100 m . y 4 X 100 m. relay 5. S. Opeiple — 100 m . y 200 m.y 4 X 100 m. relay 6. M. Makama - 400 m.y 4 X 400 m. relay 7. S. Onyekwe - 400 m.y 4 X 400 m. relay 8. M. Dongo-Yaro — 400 m . y 4 X 400 m. relay 9. B. IJirlgbo - 400 m.y 4 X 400 m. relay 10. A. Owoeye — 400 m . y 4 X 400 m. relay 11. A. Agbamu - 400 m.y 400 m. hurdles 12. J. Abidoye - 800 m. 13. J. Doherty - 3000 m. steeplechase 336

14. J. Okoro - Long jump 15. A. Ogunfeyimi - Long jump 16. T. Oyakhire - Javelin 17. Aboyade Cole - 110 m. hurdles 18. 0. Obasogie - 110 m. hurdles 19. J. Jampllda — 800 m.

Athletics Team (women):

20. M. Oshikoya - 100., 4 X 100 m. relay, 100 m. hurdles, high jump, long ' jump, pentathlon 21. B. Ewuzie - 100 m . , 4 X 100 m. relay 22. U. Ufon Uko - 100 m., 4 X 100 m. relay 23. E. Emordi - 100 m . , 4 X 100 m. relay. long jump 24. E. Apu - 100 m . , 4 X 100 m. relay 25. A. Obi - 100 m . , 300 m . , 4 X 100 m. relay 26. F. Mbakwe - 400 m . , 4 X 400 m. relay 27. R. Joshua - 400 m . , 4 X 400 m. relay 28. S. Adeduro - 400 m., 4 X 400 m. relay 29. I. Akinwale - 400 m . , 4 X 400 m. relay 30. M. Nwosu - 400 m . , 4 X 400 m. relay 31. G. Ebukuyo — 800 m. 32. E. Okeke - Shot put 33. 0. Okuofu - Javelin

Boxing Team:

34. Saliu Ishola - Fly weight 35. Christopher Emenogwu - Bantam weight 36. Eddie Kdukwu - Feather weight 37. Kajin Amah - Light weight 38. Isaac Siluko - Welter weight 39. Obisia Nwakpa - Light-welter weight 40. Fidilis Olayiwola - Light-middle weight 41. Kingsley Idani - Middle weight 42. Isaac Ikhuoria - Light-heavy weight 43. Fatal Ayinla - Heavy weight

Swimming ;

44. John Ebito - 100 m., Butterfly, 100 m.. 200 m. freestyle and 200 m. breast stroke

Athletics Team Officials:

45. Mr. Â.R.O. Amu Team manager 46. Mr. S. 0. Oduguwa Assistant team manager 337

47. Mr. A. Olubo Team coach 48. Mr. J. Oguomakinde Team coach 49. Mr. 0. Omolabl Team coach 50. Mrs. V. G. Mwajel Chaperon

Boxing Team Officiais:

51. Lt. Col. J. y. Oker Team manager 52. Mr. Hogan Bassey M.B.E. Team coach 53. Mr. Santos Martins Team coach

Swimming Team Official:

54. Mr. D. 0. Emoghene - Team manager/coach

K.S.C. Headquarters Staff:

55. Brig. H.E.O. Adefope - Commandant 56. Mr. A. A. Ordia M.B.E - H.O.C. Secretary 57. Mr. J. A. Enyeazu - General team manager 58. Dr. 0. E. Awanl - Athletics team doctor 59. Dr. T. B. Adesina - Boxer team doctor 60. Mr. C. Adeoye - Technical official (boxing) 61. Mr. Olu Oguntokun - Technical official (boxing) 62. Mr. Chris Ajao■ Physiotherapist 63. Mr. C. 0. Itabor - Team secretary/treasurer 64. Mr. C. Igoh - Senior public relations officer 65. Mr. R. Ibidapo - Photographer 66. Mr. T. Oshuntolu - Press (Daily Times)

Observers for M.S.C. and Other States Sports Councils:

67. Alhaji Isimaila Ahmed - N.S.C. 73. Mr. 0. Oshodi 68. Mr. B. A. Guobadia 74. Mr. J. Omagbemi 69. Mr. M. S. Adewale 75. Mr. I. A. Oslfor 70. Mr. G.B.I. Onuoha 76. Brig. F. Sotomi 71. Mr. H. J. Etukudo 77. Chief Begho 72. Mr. Ayo Lavanson 78. Mrs. Begho

Sources: J. B. Agbogun, Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games: N.S.C. Commonwealth Games Report; Nigeria Tear Books; Nigeria Dailies. 338

APPENDIX D

Medal Tables in the

Commonwealth Games, 1950-1974 339

NIGERIA’S MEDAL TABLES IN THE

COMMONWEALTH GAMES, 1950-1974

Names Medals Events

1950 Auckland Games

I. J. Majekodunmi Silver medal High jump

1954 Vancouver. Canada Games

1. E. Ifeajuna Gold High jump 2. P. Esiri Silver Triple jump 3. M. A. Arogundade E. A. Ajado Silver 4 x 100 m. relay K.A.B. Olowu A.R.O. Amu 4. S. 0. Williams Bronze Long jump 5. N. B. Osagie Bronze High jump 6. Garuba Ide Bronze Boxing - bantam weight

1958 Cardiff. Wales Games

T. Obi J. Omogbemi Silver 4 X 100 m. relay V. Odofin S. Akraka Gbadegesin Salawu Bronze Heavy weight boxing 340

Names Medals Events

1966 Kingston, Jamaica Games

1. S. Igun Gold Triple jump 2. E. Ndukwu Gold Boxing - bantam weight 3. A. Andeh Gold Boxing - light weight 4. K. Agbabokha Silver 400 m. hurdles (men) 5. G« Ogan Silver Triple jump •6. D. Ejoke Bronze 200 m. (men) 7. V. Odogwu Bronze Long jump 8. N. Maiyegun Bronze Boxing - middle weight 9. P. Ayinla Silver Boxing - heavy weight 10. S. Igun Silver Long jump

1970 Edinburgh, Scotland Games

1. A. Adeyemi Gold Boxing - light weight 2. F. Ayinla Gold Boxing - light heavy weight

1974 Christchurch, New Zealand Games

1. Modupe Oshikoya (Miss) Gold Long jump (women) 2. Edett Ndukwu Gold Feather weight 3. Obisia Nwakpa Gold Light-welter weight 4. Modupe Oshikoya (Miss) Silver Pentathlon (women) 5. Kajin Armah Silver Light weight 6. Fatal Ayinla Silver Heavy weight 7. Modupe Oshikoya (Miss) Bronze 100 m.hurdles (women) 8. R. S. Oyebami B. Majekodunmi Bronze 4 X 100 relay K. Abdullal 0. Alani 9. S. Ishola Bronze Fly weight 10. I. Ikhuoria Bronze Boxing - heavy weight

Sources: J. B. Agbogun, Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games, Ilorin, Nigeria, 1975; NSC Commonwealth Games Reports; Nigeria Year Books 1950-75. 341

APPENDIX E

Members of the Organizing Committee 342

APPENDIX E

MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

1. Alhaji Umaru Idrisu M.O.N. Chairman

2. Mr. I. A. Akioye Co-Coordinator

3. Mr. Y. F. Oyeyemi Chairman, Kwara State

4. Alhaji Aliyu Maita Chairman, Gongola State

5. Mr. J. Y. Dankaro Chairman, Plateau State

6. Mrs. A. 0. Oseni Chairman, Oyo State

7. Mr. B. D. Orshi Chairman, Benue State

8. Chief J. K. Agbaje Chairman, Lagos State

9. Dr. S. A. J. Ibikunle Chairman, Ogun State

10. Chief R. A. Ogunlade Chairman, Ondo State

11. Alhaji M. B. Abdulkadir Ag. Chairman, Kaduna State

12. Mr. P. Nwakoby Chairman, Anambra State

13. Justice Uche Omo Chairman, Bendel State

14. Group Capt. Cbadamosi Chairman, Kano State

15. Major Y. Yusuf Chairman, Bornu State

16. Alhaji Aliko Mohammed Chairman, Bauchi State

17. Mr. E. Achiugo Chairman, Imo State

18. Alhaji T. Bala Yauri Chairman, Sokoto State

19. Mr. E. I. Ekpenyong Chairman, Cross River

20. Alhaji Moh. Mamman Chairman, Niger State

21. Prince B.O.L. Akiri Chairman, River State

22. Dr. A. Eleyae NSC

23. Mr. A. 0. Fabunmi Secretary 343

APPENDIX F

Third National Sports Festival

Final Medals Table •y CO

APPENDIX F :AI3 22KD - 313g JULY. 1977

FINAL I-ÎBD.J.S TABLE

n ' ■ 1 u Ü ' •J M M -4 e> &< to Ë E. S 3 i 1 0 0 1s 53 i ia 1 I! Î. 1 râ 1 § R s * CO i 0 3 3 0 3 3 G S B 0 3 B G S B 0 3 5 3 3 B 3 3 B 0 3 B 0 3 B 0 3 B 3 3 B 3 3 B 3 3 6 3 3 B 0 3 B

A1LJŒRA 696 2 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 2 1 - 3 - 2 3 1 1 - — — — - 2 - 12 21 17 BAUCHI - 1 1 - 1 - - 3 5 S a i D B L 201710 2 1 - — — 1 5 3 3 - — — 2 1 - — — — 2 - 1 2 1 1 3 3 1 4 4 1 2 2 3 311613 - - 1 5 1 - 76 49 35 B3NUB — — — - 1 1 - 1 3 — — “ — — — — - 2 .5 BORNO 1 2 1 - - 1 4 2 3 C. RIFBB 4 3 7 - - 1 4 3 11 GONOOLj. 3 4 4 » 5 5 IMO 6 4 1 — — — — — 2 1 1 3 - — —. - — — 1 — — 2 - 1 — —- 1 1 2 1 1 3 — — — 2 1 3 — — — — — — 14 8 15 KuDUNii - 1 1 — — — 1 1 5 - — .» 1 - 1 — 1 — — — 1 — — 1 - 1 6 - 1 1 — — — — — — — — — “ “ — 2 5 16 KANO - 1 1 1 A - 1 — — 1 1 2 1 1 5 — — 1 4 4 11 KWi&ii 2 1 1 I'll - — — — 3 4 2 L^GOS 4 5 8 4 1 8 2 1 - - 2 1 - — — - - 1 — — — - 1 1 — — 1 2 2 3 1 - 2 6 3 1 2 2 5 9 5 6 1 1 - 31 23 37 HIOBR —— — — “ — — — — — — — - -- OOJN 3 4 2 2 1 2 - - 1 1 - 1 — •— - — — — ». — mm —- — — - — — — - - 3 - 1 - — — — 4 - 5 — — — 7 6 14 ONDO 6 4 4 — — — — 1 — 3 2 1 1 1 - -1415 1 1 5 - - 1 11 23 27 OYO 6 5 7 - 3 4 — — 3 2 2 1 — — - 3 - — — - — — - 1 1 1 - - 3 — — 2 — — — 9 7 4 1 6 4 — — — 21 27 27 PLATÜ iU — — 2 - 1 3 - 1 - - 2 3 - — — - — — — — — — — - — —- 3 2 2 - - 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — 3 6 11 a iv o a s 3 4 9 2 2 2 3 7 8 — — 1 — 9 13 22 30;:oîû 1 - - » •m ^ ^ 1 1 1 3 1 3 65 65.65 11.10.20 4 4 4 171734 1 1 - 4 4 - 1 1 1 4 4 4 4 4 6 131325 8 81t 8 8 8 48.48.41 141427 4 . 4 . 4] ?05 205 266 345

APPE N D I X G

Address of Lt-General Olusegun Obasanjo

at the 1977 Sports Festival 346

APPENDIX G

ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY LT-GENERAL OLUSEGUN OBASANJO HEAD OF THE FEDERAL MILITARY GOVERNMENT. COMMANDER-IN- CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF 3RD NATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL HELD AT THE AHMADU BELLO STADIUM, KADUNA. ON 22ND JULY. 1977

Your Excellencies

Your Highnesses

Distinguished Guests,

Sportsmen and Sportswomen,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The decision to hold this Festival in Kaduna is a welcome departure from the past. Apart from reflecting the desire of this Administration to ensure that national sporting events are staged in different corners of the country, the decision also reflects the conscious attempt of the

Government to decentralise sporting facilities and activities.

In addition to the obvious advantage of diversifying our national sporting facilities, the holding of such national events outside the

Federal capital also engenders a new sense of awareness. For those of you who are visiting this part of the coutry for the first time you will be able to have on-the-spot assessment based on personal experiences which are heightening your understanding. Such experiences serve to widen, in more practical terms, your perspectives about your country,

its aspirations and limitations.

The impression that sports— of all sports— are activities for self­ recreation and physical development alone is no longer tenable. This view tends to dull the keeness and spirit of competition which should rightly belong to sporting events and more importantly, it tends to

lead to lack of devotion and thoroughness in our sporting activities. 347

Appendix G Page 2.

In the end, one is led to see winning and success as incidental to participation. Ladies and Gentlemen, 1 believe that sports have gone beyond the simple notion of keeping the body fit and healthy. Sports

in all forms have become an important instrument of personal pride and

excellence and, at the national level, an important vehicle of national unity, honour and national self-identity. More importantly, sports compe­

tition has become a substantial instrument in international politics as

it not only promotes understanding and cooperation among nations but also

serve as an effective vehicle for arousing the conscience of the world

and drawing the world attention to burning political issues. We should

endeavour to bring out the great potentials of this country in this

important field of activity. We must move away from deriving satisfac­

tion only in taking part in international sports. It is important to

make it clear that anyone in this country who is taking part in sports

or in any activity involving the honor and good name of our country

should aim at winning. There is neither romance nor pride in failure.

The Federal Military Governments have put substantial part of their

resources on development of sports and sporting facilities in the belief

that Nigeria can reach great heights in sports internationally. Our hope,

now and in the future, for such capital outlay on sports, is that we have

in this country the potential for making of world rating sportsmen and

women. Perhaps, no further proof of that is needed than the first-class

performance of the Christ the King College students who recently brought

home a world 'junior' soccer trophy and best performance out of field of

play. Again, there is current top-rate performance of our football clubs

and boxers. If anything, these achievements go to show that we have the 348

Appendix G Page 3. men and women, the resources and what is needed is the sustained disci­ pline, the dedication and the patriotism to back them up. The Federal

Military Government will continue to do its best to provide reasonable facilities within our limited resources to encourage sports at all levels.

The recent performance of Nigeria sporting clubs in the international

scene should not make us rest on our oars. In fact, such performances

should sharpen our will to compete and further excel. The success of this

Festival will not be measured only in old records broken and new records

set but also in friendship, amity and understanding generated among all participants and officials during the Festival and maintained thereafter.

The proof of your ability to excel as Nigerians will be demonstrated in

the forthcoming West African Games to be held in Lagos next month. Such

avenues are therefore not only occasions for winning glories, they are

also important avenues for proof of discipline and slef-sacrifice and for

making friends.

I congratulate the Government and people of Kaduna State for hosting

this national event and I thank the Governor, his Commissioners, officials

and all the people of Kaduna State who have contributed to making this

Festival a success. I also thank officials of National Sports Commission

and the various States Sports Commissions for both their efforts and

sacrifice in preparing for this gathering. I will also like to thank all

Nigerians and friends of Nigeria who have made generous contributions in

cash or in kind to the success of this Festival. 349

Appendix G Page 4.

May I end these remarks by invoking the spirit of sportsmanship in all of you who will be taking part in the forthcoming events. I value the spirit of sportsmanship in a combination of understanding, comradeship and discipline as much as I value your determination to win.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to declare open the 3rd National Sports Festival.

Thank you. 350

APPENDIX H

3rd National Sports Festival Kaduna,

State Entries 351

APPENDIX H

1RD N.a'ION.iL Ji-'ORTS PX'JTIf.iL tLiPDNA 22HD - 513T JULY. 107?

S'J.A'L: aHTRIBJ

.irMBRji SENIOR INTERIimijkTE

SPORT ILiLE FEIlILE I'LiLE FQLiLE TOTYiL

ATHLETICS 36 17 20 26 99

aJJMINTCN •’r 4 4 4 16 aiSKSTB-’ilL 12 12 12 12 .18 BOXING 11 6 17 CRICKET 16 16 32 CYCLING 8 6 14 FOOTBALL 20 20 40 aiNDBALL 12 12 12 12 ■'S HOCKEY 16 16 16 16 64 JUDO 6 S 8 L.J.flI T H flllS . . 4 4 4 4 16 SQUASH RiiCKETS 4 4 4 4 16 S'JIMMKG 11 7 . 14 8 40 T.iBLE TENNIS 4 4 4 4 . 16 VOLLEY II.Ü.L 12 12 12 12 ■10

176 92 152 102 522

Ba UCHI SENIOR intermediate

SPORT I'DYLB PETLUiB MALE F131ALB TOTAL

.ATHLETICS 26 19 27 22 94 BADMINTON

Basketball 12 12 12 12 48 BOXING 11 6 17 CRICKET CYCLING 4 4 8 PüOTli/iLL .. 20 20 40 iLJIDWiLL HOCKEY 16 16 . 16 16 64 JUDO 2 2 LAI.H TENNIS 5 4 5 2 16 SQUASH iLYCKETS SUIHIING

T.YBLE TENNÉS 4 4 r 4 4 16 VOLLEYBALL 12 12 12 12 48

112 67 ICS 68 353 352

Appendix H Page 2

S B ïl I 0 R lîJïjKJiEDIATE

.'ji-oar ItlLB PEMi'J jE IIALB PSK.iLE ï OTjJ.

.li'HLL'üICS 46 29 45 29 149 B.ÙJMIHTOK 4 ... _4._ 4 4 16 BiSBÏÏTaUi 12 12 12 12 4 3 oOXINS 11 6 17_ . CiîIûK Br 16 16 32 o' :CL1NG 6 5 11 l'X'O'i’n.VLL .10 ;îü •10 . ;i.îlÜBALL 12 12 12 12 ■10 . ÜOEXEÏ 16 16 16 16 64 __ JUDO 6 5 11 Lj.'Vî! T a m is 4 4 4 4 16

3;u.;3tl aiOKhTS 4 A . 4 4 . 16 jWllj'IIN G 12 8 a . 7 _ 35

T..BL2 T a m is 4 .1 . 4 . 4 16 /ûiLS'lIi.iLL 12 12 12 12 48

165 105 173 104 567

BiWUE SENIOR liil'EKJlEDIATE

SIORT Iiia.E Ei3JiLE MiLE FEtliLB TOT.X

.a'iiLiîL'iüs 20 __22 . .. 20 21 99 )Î.ÆUHï'ON 4 4 4 4 16 a.SKliVBALL 11 10 11 12 44 BOXIüO 11 7 18 CRICKET 16 16 32 CYCLING 5 4 9 P00T&1.LL 20 20 40 .... H-iNDBALL 12 12 12 12 48 HOCKEY 16 16 16 '18 JUDO 5 2 7...... LA.W T a m is 4 . . 4 4 4 16 SiX'ASK R.iCi-a;TS 4 1 5 jJI.’illIil G 14 3 14 4 35 fiüJLE TENNIS 4 4 4 4 16 VOLLEY BAl.T. 12 12 12 12 48 ...

166 08 1 154 73 481 353

Appendix H Page 3

ü 0 .1 :i 0 3 £ t: ICR I!iV£RMEDI.iTi!

SI-CHT tULS POLiLS MALK ?ai.iLfi TOTAL

..m E T IC S 24 26 50 4. 4 4 4 16 B.L3K2TB,J;L 12 12 36 BCXIKG 7 5 10 d;acKi.T GÏCLIKG C 6 l'V'Oï.l;.Ll, 20 20 40 !l.JiDE,iLL 12 12 H0ÜKI3Ï 16 16 16 4 8 JllDO

L,.„:i TGZKlLi 4 4 4 4 16 L3 ..U.iS!I Ü..C1ŒT3 4 .... 4 . 17 9 26 ÏEilinS . 4 4 4 4 16

v o l l 3Y b:jl l 12 12 12 36

142 12 110 5 2 316

OifOlJJ lUVillt SENIOR irjl'i3(riEDlATE TOT/Ji

3iORT ILlLE Füîi,iLa M.1LE FaUlLE TOT.iL

ATHLETICS 17 . 9 24 _ 2 4 74 aWiINTOII 4 3 2 9

BASKETBALL 12 12 1 1 2 12 4 8 BOXIMG 11 7 18 CRICKET 16 16 . CYCLING 6 6

FOOTBALL 20 2 0 40 iliI'IDBiU,L 12 12 12 12 4 8 HOCKEY 16 16 3 2 . JUDO

. _Li„nj ? s m i 3 4 2 4 10 SsiUa g u Ra c k e t s 4 4 .

S'JVftUKG 5. . ,11 5 21

T..DL-.: TENWI3 ... 4 4 4 . .4 . 16

VOLLEYB.iL 1 12 12 12 9 45 . .

143 5 4 1 2 2 60 3 87 354

Appendix H Paso 4

vWBdOLÀ 3 E N .1 0 H liJTUIMMDl iTK

•Ji'OiiT r,.iLE i'‘E..lLE M ;iS PBL'iLB TtViClL

A'ÆL JTICS 29 . 23 . 32 17 101 B.u;:a:;ioN 4 4 4 _ 4 _ 16 &J3KET3/J.L 12 12 24 BOXINO 11 6 17 CRICKET CYCLING JOOTEiLL 18 18 36 !LJ;D3ALL HOCKEY 16 16 16 48 JUDO

LiiW TEKi;i3 4 . 4 . 4 ...... 1 2 - .._J- R-ÆKSrS 1 - H'JII'HiING 10 10 T..i)Lr; TlfilNId 4 4 4 4 16 VÜLLEÏS,iLL 12 12 12 36

120 43 96 57 316

IMO S E N I 0 R INTERMEDIATE

3P0RT IL'iLE PEtLILE M.2E najiLB T0T.1L

a T iîLEI’ICÜ 22 10 22 10 00

IVJiM INTON 4 4 . 5. .. 4 17 Ih'IKETIlML 12 12 12 . 12 48 . inXlIJ i: 1 1 6 ...... 17 _ •mnxLi'i' 16 16 ... 32 ...

CYCLING .9 7 _ 16 POOTHa LI. .20 __ao . . 40 k ,iKD b :il l 12 12 12 12 48 HOCKEY 16 16 16 15 63 JUDO 8 5 13 . L a .hi t e n n i s ,4 4 . .3 ... 4 15 S. :UCKUTS 4 8 C7IMMING 12 11 11 54 Ta b l e t e n n i s 4 4 4 , 4 16

VOLLEYBALL \ 2 . 12 12 12 48 , m ____ - 2 g - ___ .—515— 355

Appendix H Page 7

îT I ;; B s 3 B K î 0 R lUi'l'îiUlj II.ÆB

3PPÜT ÎLXB PtK.XB IÎ.XK pan.-j.B

. . r i î L m c s 13 25 19. _ ... 3 7 a,iDMII!îCK 4 . 4 . 4 12 H..aCBTü.iLL 1Ü 12 12 3b dC'XIBS ÜAiCKfiT CYCLIIW 6 4 ..... 10 fO C r& iL L 1 20 20 .40 H-JIDd.J.:,

ilOCKirr 16 16 32 JUUO Q 8

LiVa ï'gÆ IÜ 3 3 3 . lidCKKTS 4 4 SUIÎ-D;it!(i

■i' a l L.J Ti3iWI3 4 4 '/DLL3Y3..LL 12 12

102 — 81 35 213

0 3 U N 3 B K I 0 H lifTBIÜlEDIATE

3P0RT ILXS Pffi.X3 H XE î'S ttX B ■TOTAL

_.,j.:Lsrics 22 10 .14 9 .55 B.DMIiITOîi 4 2 4 4 14 HL3KÜTÜALL 12 12 12 36

B0XIH3 6 6 CHlCKia’ 16 16

CÏOLIIVÜ 0 8 i’OOTa.LL 20 20 40

H.JWB.LIX 12 12 . 12 . 12 ... .48 HOOICBY 16 .... 16 16 48

JUDO 7 . .7 LJIN TBNKI3 3 2 . 4 1 10 .3. n^CK4î3 1 1 S W I K a N G 4

. TnaLiJ ÎHIilIS 5 5 5 15

V0DLBÏ3.XL .... 12 12 12 12 '18

127 66 116 43 352 356

Pape 8 Appendix H

ONDO 3 J3 Hl 0 U INTliîilEIJlAÏE

üiVRT tiiLE E Jl. JE W,.LE EBLILli TOT,il,

-■'HLlîi.'lGS •31 . 24 . .22. . . ..lii . .__96___

'•.JliaNïL'.'.’ A .. 4 .. 4. 4 _ 16 a^sKu r a a L 12 12 12 12 40 liOXlUG 9 . 6 15 CRICKET 16 16 32 CYCLING 0 a 16 iX'ÛTaj.L 20 .. 20 40 H/jjaaLLL HOCKEY 16 16 16 48 JUDO

L.WN TEffiUH 4 . _ .4 . .. . . 4 . ...4 . 16 S. a.CKET3 . ...4. 4 3 1 1 . .

JRlI'i.IHG 13 12 .. 13 12 50 T..BLE TEÎIÎJIC 4 4 4 4 16 V O L L E Ï B ^ L 1? 12 12 12 40

153 141 66 452

OYO 3 B w I 0 a INTERMEDIATE

CPORT MiLE l'EMXB MiLE f'El't/iLE TOTilL

..THLETICS 30 15 20 23 96 B.1DMIIITON 4 . . 4 5 5 18 B.i.5KETB.iLL 10 10 10 10 . 40 BOXIHG 11 6 17 CRICKET 16 16 32 CYCLIHü 6 _ 6 12 EOûTüALL 20 20 . 40 H,JJDBALL .1.2. 12 12 12 40 HOCKEY 16 16 16 16 64 _ JUDO 7 3 10 L.Ù11 THINIE 5 5 5 3 18 . S. ILÆKEl'E . 5 5 oUIMlIN G 5 1 11 8 25 . TABLE TEKHI3 5 5 5 5 20 _ VOLLEYUa LL 12 12 12 12 48

164 80 155 1 94 493 357

Appendix H Pape 9

Ii. l’iicaD i. J li

10/ UIG

Jl’CO

o.a.lliIl.’G 'J..BL1; IJUtîIS

119 393

n I V Bi u s NI OK

I.Ollï imxii 'iOT.iL

■/rilLETICd 26 Jl. .Æ 18 83 E JlilN g Q H 12 B..acmaiLL 12 11 12 12 Æ. BOXIHG 11 17 CaiCKST 16 16 CYCLING rooTavUi 20 20 Æ. 12 12 12 12 iiCCKig 16 16 16 16 61 JBBO JJL 16

15 10 10 10 J2L . l'..BLü TaiüIS 16 V0LLBY3,XL 12 12 12 12 _Jg_

163 93 139 92 487 358

Appendix H Puv.e U)

3 0 K 0 T 0 3 i! 1- I 0 R I.1T'RMEDI./1'E

SPORT EXE PEEXE IULE P3LXB Tom

■ÆÎILïïTICS 32 20 . 2 7 . .1 7 . 9 6 b;X';: ih t o ii 4 4 .4 . 12 3..3KJi’aX L 12 12 12 11 ...... 47. BCIa IIW 11 6 .._ . ..17. ..

C k IOICST CYCLIHü 6 6 12 i'OOTB.iLL 20 20 . 40

!i.j :hb ;x l 12 _ 12 . 12 12 . 43 IIOCKJJY 16 16 16 48 JBÜÜ 6 1 4 11

L.uIK T i a w is 4 . 4 . 4 4 16 3 . K.WKSTS 4 . - 4

SHIMMING 10 3 _.. _ 15 T-iBLL- TSHHIS 4. _ 4 4 4 16 V0LL2YB.XL 12 12 12 12 4 8

153 65 150 30 4 2 3 359

APPENDIX I

Composition of Contingents to Second All-Africa Games 360

Composition of Contingents to Second All-Africa Games

n 4 J m m Country m ■H I t k CO H 1 0) •H 09 (U ; - 6 0 U p tH B (0 •H U CO i « (S c (H 9 4 J 0> « «W 0 o I IS H S o H M W MW Algeria 78 3 4 14 23 9 131 Arab Repub. of Egypt 95 22 12 1 10 6 2 148 Botswana 13 1 2 16 Burundi 16 1 1 18 Cameroun 83 11 10 1 8 5 2 120 Central Afr. Republic 12 18 4 1 2 3 1 41 Congo Brazzaville 55 8 7 6 12 7 95 Dahomey 33 16 3 5 3 1 . 61 Ethiopia 40 3 4 4 4 2 56 Gambia 10 1 1 12 Ghana 84 26 10 4 6 5 2 137 Guinea 48 4 8 1 5 5 6 77 Ivory Coast 92 25 11 3 8 6 2 147 Kenya 42 - - 14 5 2 -.-3 6 2 74 Lesotho 9 8 2 3 22 Liberia 30 3 4 3 5 2 47 Libya 1 1 Madagascar 62 24 11 4 9 5 2 117 Malawi 13 3 1 3 2 1 23 Mali 20 2 2 2 26 Mauritius 21 2 4 3 30 Morocco 13 2 4 3 4 2 28 Niger 32 3 7 1 5 5 2 55 Nigeria 149 47 18 4 12 230 Senegal 111 29 14 2 15 5 2 178 Sierra Leone 33 8 5 1 4 5 2 58 Somali 3 ' 2 1 1 1 8 Sudan 18 4 3 5 30 Swaziland 4 1 1 6 Tanzania 52 7 6 1 4 2 1 73 Tchad 22 2 4 1 3 2 34 Togo 48 18 8 2 8 5 2 91 Tunisia 61 6 6 6 79 Uganda 48 13 5 2 5 1 74 Upper Volta 72 4 10 1 6 12 2 107 Zambia 15 10 3 1 3 32 Total 1,537 341 193 31 171 153 56 2,482

Source: Second All-Africa Games Report, Lagos, Nigeria (Jan. 7-18, 1973), p. 10. 361

APPENDIX J

Second All-Africa Gaines, 1973

Medal Winners in Athletics 362

SECOND ALL-AFRICA GAMES, 1973

MEDAL WINNERS IN ATHLETICS

Athletics - Men

Event Names Country Medals

100 m. 0. Karikari Ghana Gold Sy. Barka Senegal Silver J. Mwebi Kenya Bronze

200 m. 0. Karikari Ghana Gold G. Daniels Ghana Silver J. Mwebi Kenya Bronze

400 n. 0. Asati Kenya Gold T. Bezabih Ethiopia Silver M. Tedesse Ethiopia Bronze

800 m. C. Sielei Kenya Gold J. Kipkurgat Kenya Silver S. Djouadi Algeria Bronze

1,500 m. P. Bay Tanzania Gold K. Keino Kenya Silver S. Regas6a Ethiopia Bronze

5,000 m. B. Kipcho Kenya Gold M. Yifter Etihipia Silver P. Hose Kenya Bronze

10,000 m. M. Yifter Ethiopia Gold P. Hose Kenya Silver R. Juma Kenya Bronze

110 m. hurdles F. Kimaiyo Kenya Gold C. Aboyade Nigeria Silver A. Sarr Senegal Bronze

400 m. hurdles J. Akii-Bua Uganda Gold W. Koskei Kenya Silver S. Ayoo Uganda Bronze

3,000 m. steeple­ B. Kipcho Kenya Gold chase E. Mogaka Kenya Silver Y. Mohamed Ethiopia Bronze 363

Event Names Country Medals

Marathon M. Wolde Ethiopia Gold L. Bendane Ethiopia Silver R. Mabuza Swaziland Bronze

4 X 100 m. relay Nigeria Gold Ghana Silver Congo Brazzaville Bronze

4 X 400 m. relay Kenya Gold ' Nigeria Silver Uganda Bronze

High jump A. Wasugbe Somalia Gold S. Eye Gambia Silver A. Evele Cameroun Bronze

Long jump J. Owusu Ghana Gold J. Okoro Nigeria Silver M. Dia Senegal Bronze

Pole vault A. Gheita Egypt Gold R. Bahai Algeria Silver Tsondzabeka Congo Brazzaville Bronze

Triple jump M. Dia Senegal Gold A. Numabi Uganda Silver M. Pomaney Ghana Bronze

Discus N. Niare Mali Gold N. Assaad Egypt Silver S. Krage Ivory Coast Bronze

Hammer Y. Ochola Uganda Gold G. Luzira Uganda Silver S. Shaheen Egypt Bronze

Javelin J. Aye Ivory Coast Gold J. Mayaka Kenya Silver F. Gonongo Congo Brazzaville Bronze

Shot put N. Assaad Egypt Gold N. Niare Mali Silver A. Djabaili Algeria Bronze

Athletics - Women

100 m. A. Annum Ghana Gold R. Asiedua Ghana Silver U. 0. U£on Klgerla Bronze 364

Event Names Country Medals

200 m. A. Annum Ghana Gold B. Ewuzie Nigeria Silver J. Ocran Ghana Bronze

400 m. Chemabwai Kenya Gold G. Bakari Ghana Silver F. Hgbakwa Nigeria Bronze

800 m. C. Anyakun Uganda Gold R. Joshua Nigeria Silver H. Opoku Ghana Bronze

1,500 m. P. Resiime Uganda Gold M. Wagaki Kenya Silver R. Yeboah Ghana Bronze

100 m. hurdles M. Oshikoya Nigeria Gold E. Edet Nigeria Silver B. Nyakeco Uganda Bronze

4 X 100 m. relay Ghana Gold Nigeria Silver Kenya Bronze — ■

4 X 400 m. relay Uganda Gold Nigeria Silver Kenya Bronze

Shot put 0. Evelyn Nigeria Gold N. Nnema Nigeria Silver G. Brigitte Ivory Coast Bronze

Discus R. Hart Ghana Gold A. Okoli Nigeria Silver A. De-Souza Togo Bronze

Javelin C. Rwabiryage Uganda Gold L. Cherotich Kenya Silver A. Chepkiyeng Kenya Bronze

Long Jump M. Oshikoya Nigeria Gold M. Odafin Nigeria Silver C . Kabanda Uganda Bronze

High jump M. Oshikoya Nigeria Gold G. Aghagba Nigeria Silver M. Chesire Kenya Bronze Source: Second All-Africa Games Report, Lagos, Nigeria (Jan. 7-18, 1973), p. 50. 365

APPENDIX K

Records Established During the 2nd All-Africa

Games Lagos - Nigeria - 1973 366

Records Established During the 2nd All-Africa Games Lagos - Nigeria - 1973

Athletics Old Event Competitor Country New Record Record

Men

200 m. Karikari Ghene Ghana 21.08 sec. 21.1 sec. 200 m. C. Asati Kenya A6.26 sec. 46.9 sec. 800 m. Sielei Cosmos Kenya 1:45.33 min. 1:47.4 min 1,500 m. Bayi Philbert Tanzania 3:37.18min. 3:47.l a i n 10,000 m. Yifter Mirtus Ethiopia 29:4.6 min. - 110 m. Hurdles Kimaiyo Fatvell Kenya 14.14 sec. 14.6 sec. 400 m. Hurdles Akii-Bua John Uganda 48.49 sec. 51.7 sec. 3,000 m. s/chase . Jipcho Benjamin Kenya 8:20.69 min. 8:47.A m i n A X 100 m. relay Nigeria Nigeria 39.84 sec. 4.5 sec. A X AOOm. relay Kenya Kenya 3:06.33 min. 3:11.5 min Pole Vault A. Gheita Egypt 4.65 m. 4.15 m. Long Jump J. Owusu Ghana 8.00 m. 7.49 m. Triple Jump Dia Mansour Senegal 16.53 m. 16.27 m. Shot Assad Nagui Egypt 19.48 m. 16.32 m. Discus N. Niare Mali 55.28 m. 51.20 m. Hammer Y. Ochola Uganda 50.64 m. - Javelin Aye Jacques Ivory Coast 77.22 m. 71.52 m. Marathon M. Wolde Ethiopia 2:27.32.02 min. -

Women

100 m. Alice Annum Ghana 11.72 sec. 12.4 sec. 200 m. Alice Annum Ghana 28.83 secs. - 400 m. T. Chemabwai Kenya 54.01 sec. - 800 m. Anyakun Christie Uganda 2:09.48 min. - 1,500 m. Kestime Peace Uganda 4:38.65 min. - 100 m. Hurdles Modupe Oshikoya Nigeria 14.23 sec. - 4 X 100 m. relay Ghana Ghana 46.20 sec. 48.00 sec. 4 X 400 m. relay Uganda Uganda 3:45.37 min. - High Jump Modupe Oshikoya Nigeria 1.71 m. 1.62 m. Long Jump Modupe Oshikoya Nigeria 6.15 m. 5.63 m. Shot Evelyn Okeke Nigeria 13.58 m. - Discus Hart Rose Ghana 41.06 m. Javelin C. Rwabiryage Uganda 47.50 m. 40.30 m.

Source: Second All-Africa Games Report, Lagos, Nigeria (Jan. 7-18, 1973), p. 51. 367

APPENDIX L

Second All-Africa Games, Lagos, Nigeria, 1973

Medals Tables Second All-Afrjca Came#, Nigeria, 1973

Nedai# Table*

Saefcet- Baa&et- Foot­ Hand­ lawn Table Country Athletic# Boning Cycling Judo Swimming ball ball ball ball Tennia Tennia l:vr — C S m G S B C S 8 G S 8 0 S 8 G S B G S B G 8 B G 8 B C S B C S 8 G S 8 G S B

Altnrln 1 2 1 4 2 1 1 I 3 1 3 2 4 5 13 Arab Republic of Egypt 2 1 1 1 i 1 1 1 2 18 10 7 2 4 1 2S 16 15 Cameroun 1 1 1 1 1 3 Congo Braxxavllla 3 ' 1 1 3 OahoMf • 1 1 Ktlilopla 2 3 4 1 2 2 4 3 6 Conbia 1 1 Cliana 7 A 4 2 3 1 2 1 3 7 7 13 Cufnea 1 1 1 1 Ivory Coaat 1 2 1 2 2 4 Kenya 7 8 8 2 1 2 9 9 10 Madugancnr 1 1 2 2 3 Nall 1 1 1 1 Morocco 1 1 2 1 1 3 3 Niger 1 1 Nigeria S 12 2 3 1 4 1 2 2 1 S 4 8 S 7 18 25 20 Senegal 1 1 2 1 1 2 3 1 4 2 7 Somalia I 1 t Sudan 1 1 1 1 1 1 Sqaeiiand 1 1 Tansania I 1 1 Togo 1 I Tunlala 1 1 1 1 2 4 2 1 4 6 3 Uganda 6 2 4 2 4 2 a 6 6 Zambia 1 1 5 t 6 Total Medal# Awarded M 34 34 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 11 22 2 2 2 1 t 1 1 1 1 6 6 12 2 2 4 22 22 22 10 10 18 1 1 I 92 92 119

Soureet Second All-Afrlca Corne# Report, lagon, Htgnrla Cdan. 7-18, 1973), p. 112.

(jü o> 00 369

APPENDIX M

3rd National Sports Festival

Fund Raising - Federal 370

APPENDIX M

3RD NATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL FUND-RAISING - FEDERAL aSi Sane Anount Donat 1. C M a f K.K. A U o l a #20,000.00 2. Ai'ro-Sahara - 400 Cartons of taS.ro 100.00 3. Ni',«ri3a Navy 2,000.00 4; Alunaco 1,000.00 5. Vune Pri'ducts 100.00 l>. sterling Pi'oducto Nig. Ltd. 500.00 7. king and ddorge (Nig) 1,000.00 8. Cash Donation 13.00 9. Phillips (Nig.) It# 1,500.00 10. Chief Kuti (Abuai Odunaro) 1,000.00 11. Nigérian Engineering Const. Co Ltd. 200.00 12. Altaaja Abeni Aberuagba 100.00 13. Dr. Olu Aaektm 100.00 14. 7 Up Bottling Co^Kiny 200.00 15. Mosora ASA PartnerslApo Ibadan 250.00 16, C.A. Tewngbado Ik Eons 1,000.00 17. Nigeria Eloctronico 250.00 IB. B. A. Bgbedeyi 10.00 19. Peat Warwick, Cossloton 500.00 28. Bdaekwood Hodge (Nig) Ltd 500.00 21. GTE (Nig) Ltd 1,000.00 22. K. Chellarams & Sons Ltd 501.00 23. Business Coordination International 150.00 24. B.J. Osoren, C.P. Cyo State 5.00 25. Industrial Gaoos Ltd. 50.00 26. Avery Nigeria Ltd 25.00 27. C.T. Bowring & Co. 200.00 28. Uidat Sportswear Co. Ltd 500.00 29. U.T. Gas (Nig) & Ovcrsaaa Ltd 25.00 30. Oisengoff WJL. (Nig.) 100.00

31. IPTC (w a ) Ltd. 150.00 32. West Africa Auto. & Big. Co. Ltd 50.00 33. Shell (b p ) - A oombi-bus and 10,000.00 34. Military Govumor Hiver State 2,000.00 35. Ai mi n e (Nig) Ltd #,500.00 36. Barclays Bank (Nig) Ltd 5,000.00 37. O.K. Onuseloga Snterpsisu Ltd 250.00 38. % c t o r y Food Co. (Nig) Ltd 1,000.00 39. Drug Rouaes (Nig) Ltd 200.00 40. • A.C. Christliob (Nig) Ltd 1,000.00

c/i #54,979.00 371

Appendix M Page 2 No. None Annated 8 54,979.00

41 F&00 to Face 2,500.00 42 Lovantia Group of CoBpnnies 18,000.00 43 Kwnra State Govnruuunt 10,000.00 44 Oyo State Oovcrnntnt 10,000.00 45 Kano State Oovcmnont 25,000.00 46 Nigerian Bxploaive Co. Ltd 100.00 47 Bhojsons & Co (Nig.) Ltd. 4,000.00 48 I.d.M. (Rig.) Ltd. 150.00 49 nigérian Airunya 500.00 50 Electrieare Ltd. ..MO^ 51 Nicerlan Braweiiaa Ltd. 1,000.00 52 late & Lylo (Nig.) Ltd. 2,900.00 53 Nigerian Air Force 2,000.00 54 J. Akin George & Co. Ltd. 250.00 55 Mliwrlon Book Supploara 200.00 56 Stirling Astaldi (Rig.) Ltd. 2,000.00 57 CFC Furniture Co. Ltd. 500.00 58 Government of Croaa River State 5,000.00 59 Mecbondlee Uboleaale Olstributora Ltd 5,000.00 60 Nr. Tundo Laurence - Ncnluka G.H. 1,000.00

TOTAL - «134,829.00

F inn RAISING - FNDidlAL CONT'D 61 Standard Hank Nig. Ltd. 5,000.00 62 U.T.C. 1,000.00 63 AdajUBO Farm 500.00 64 Ogun State Govomnent, Abeokuta 10,000.00 65 Alhaji Ibrahim El-Takubu 100.00 66 Tmlakn Ltd. 100.00 67 Sckbto Stato Govement 10,000.00 68 Croaa River Stato Government (2nd Inatalment) 10,000.00 «36,700.00

Sgd. (WIOLA SOGBBSdN) Friadpal Orgnnlelng Sacretaiy, 372

P a g e Appendix M Wo. Watio Amount Don ited h/f 07,051 .CKl 07 Alhti.ii Uiib.i ilur-iju 'K'.(X) æ " Isa IiOlkufl 10.00 89 " WabayLkon 10.00 90 " Bidarewa - Kuduna 10.00 91 " IIogBTO - Badatoua 20.00 92 " Sei du hadava 5.00 93 Mrs. OpuruD S: Conpany Ltd. ■ 100.00 54 alliaji Zakari Yuro 30.00 95 jtlhoji Ibrahim Uoaa 10.00 96 " Jaf.iru 15.00 97 " Makarufi 10.00 98 " Mohaemod - Koduna 10.00 99 " Agwai ooriki 10.00 100 " , Jar'Paru 5.00 H)1 Jiirikiii /irgu Kiwi 20.00 102 Col. Jide-Snith 100.00 103 iiudu Kano Kasia 5.00 104 Alhaji KaUru Matase 50.00 105 " Baba Lawn 10.00 106 " Yusuf Ms to hi 5.00 107 " Mustafa Cba 20.00 106 " Ycsufu Nani ) 50.00 109 •• Basson Ahnsd ) % ^ Oovomnont qq 110 " Ibrahim Boraeo 10.00 111 Nr. Iro Moni 10.00 112 Musa Sanni Bandawa 10.00 113 .ilhaji Laval B.vdnun 2.00 114 ilhlija ikbub'ikor 20.00 119 ■.Ih'.iji .itiMüd i’atika 50.U) 116 " Itoltuaaud Kabiri 50.00 117 S.B. kaitome 10.00 118 Alhaji lonko 15.00 119 Anonymous 5.10 120 n 5.50 121 Alhaji Musa Blu 20.00 122 Malian Baua Neturam 2.00 123 Musa Gayuna ) 20.00 124 J.E. Nsdskin ) Z r m 3 ^ " ' 20.00 125 Molsongo Goyorl } 20.00 126 K. Hartku AJayi 20.00

o/f iW8,TD5.60 373

Appendix M ®

b/f 88,705.60 127 Hr. Giyu Taquad (jaw in Local Govt, .iron) 20.00 128 Saudi Yiea Balariba Arori Znnoi L.C.iVrea) 20.00 129 Liktt John - ditto - 20.00 150 ilhiji h 111 SI I'Vichi 5.10 151 .Jli 5 0 .ai 132 Xusufu Hujoj i 20.00 133 inba Kali 20.00 134 Lauai Hajaau 20.00 135 Iro Majin Waiyo 20.00 136 layaku - jaria 1.10 137 Hewada - Baxia 5.00 138 J.K. Hnllan Fochi 1.05 139 Usuan W in EobL 5.00 140 Alhaji Rirba Mezakn 3.00 141 Alhaji BM W Kabola 5.00 142 A.R & Jons (Bu U o Hiuia & Sons) 100.00 143 Jllhiiji M iJl.iri J'lt'iu 3.0) 144 M u M ilali 10.00 145 If Taobo Badawn 5.00 146 n .Vbudu Kuril 10.00 147 n Musa Jokata 10.00 148 It Tukur Zada 10.(0 149 II Bello ibdul Lalu 10.00 150 n Alii Dago 9.00 151 II Isynku 5.00 152 II Nuru Baba K'llucha 5.00 153 Hohomod Cali 0 lurn 250.00 154 Addo 20.00 155 ituiid Dantokoi 20.00 156 Sabi yiatiiot Council Club 2.00 157 BLBo iloiduro - Qwani 5.00 158 2alcl Tonko lAtn Ov-'ini 5.00 159 Tsoho iiat'iu Cuaau 2.00 160 Alhaji ..bdu Honen 5.00 161 Gai Kururi Jibril 5.00 162 Uiyrl Jibril 5.00 163 Hoknoa G. 5.00 164 Alkali G. 5.00 165 Sotiki Uranku 10.00 166 Brig. G.O. Sjign 100.00

o/f a 89,395.75 374

Appendix M Page 3

SS a îtamo AMunt.Donatad 1 Kciduna State Govommcnt a 50,000.00 2 Bauchl State S o vma o n t 10,000.00 3 Joke to St.ito Govi'muoit (On prowiao) io ,o a ).o o •t Comnla.'tionur 1‘ur Infonaatioii - fioicoto 100.00 5 Adidas Sporta Ehtetprlsoa, Kamo 2,000.00 6 Ni;fr State Cooiuisaioiior for Internal Affoirw, Infonuttion ft Social JDer. 100.00 7 Benue State Government 2,475.00 8 a l M j i h.I.A. Atta 2,0 00 .00 9 Ziufara 'i'eztllaa Company 1,000.00 10 Alhaji dabd. No liaduga - Kataiiia 50.00 11 Alhaji Nunuona Bind. - Sokoto 250.00 12 Independence Sporta Stores 250.00 13 Alhaji l a y a -Sokoto 50.00 14 Alhaji Ludan Guanu 20.00 15 Hasarawa Secretary, Sokoto Sports Council 10.00 16 Rainbow C« Stores - Raduna 250.00 17 Alhaji Labran Gobira«a 20.00 18 Alhaji Dogo - Kaduna 30.00 19 Alhaji Dmaru - Kantagora 50.00 20 A i r of Jamai 50.00 21 Alhaji Ugada m m b a - K.atsina 50.00 22 12 CoBUisaionora - Kaduna Statu (On Froioisu) #100.00 each 1,200.00 23 Alahji Bature Garifol 50.00 24 Alhaji Batura Bahajl 2.00 25 Alhaji Nuhu Bamali 100.00 26 Alhaji Gakorufoi - Zaria 100.00 27 Anonymous - Donor 3.00 28 Alhaji Neman - Kaduna 15.00 29 Seriki Tukur 200.00 30 Seriki Hodaua Dogo - Zaria 200.00 31 Seriki Yiaa Abubokar - Kaduna 500.00 32 Kaduni Chumbor of Coouorco ft Industriwa On Promise) 500.00 33 Aituiji M.O. Atta 400.00 34 Alhaji Huau Abu lldcar 50.00 35 Hodja Hommta Tinke 50.00 36 " Aiaa Johnmon 50.00 37 " Yari'Baba Audu 40.00 36 " lya *0.00 39 * Loro - Tamlngo 9 .0 0 40 Alhaji Baba Trader 10.00 41 Aliu Hofka - Funtua 100.00 42 Alhaji Me rigs 100.00 43 Alhaji Ahmed 20.00

o/f # 82,284.00 375

Appendix M fage 4

Ho» liane fc/f tr 82,K4.00 44 Alhaji Baba Dogu 10.00 45 Lawal II. Sana 10.00 46 C.li. hnradosa 5.0 0 47 Alliaji Aalci 5.0 0 48 " Hamud Nd» Kuta - Zaïia 500.00 49 " Aja Ikiioau Mugoro 20.00 50 " Faoÿiot Nigeria Ltd. 300.00 51 alhaji A.B. UUco 50.00 52 Nwaagong of aida (On prosLso) 1,000.00 53 Alhaji Labo Cuntrollor 10.00 54 Dido Kalufaaelu 40.00 55 Alhaji ïosufu Sanaofo 50.00 56 Sonuol Audu 50.00 57 Tan Mutoakc 50.00 58 Aliu Mobammod 50.00 59 Atana - Gwani 50.00 60. Alhaji Baba Zaria 30.00 61 Alhaji ïaro Badaru 15.00 62 Baba Oonbuxu (Alhaji) 10.CO 63 Mr. Onyulcoh 50.00 64 Hadji Woi Hudoya 20.00 65 " Danjunai Modoya 20.00 66 " Nuru Hetondo 10.00 67 " Tukur Majina 5.00 68 " Buba Bakro 10.00 69 Babatundo Oyawclo 15.00 70 Alkiji YarUarduii - Funtua 21 .00 71 Nte m a l moctidcal Jorku 1 ,0 0 0 .0 0 72 Mr. a. üollo 10.00 73 Il aman 20.00 74 Duniyan Haunza 20.00 75 liaBisa Gudan 20.00 76 laaa Mukari 1,0 00.0 0 77 Fauas Staolworka 200.00 78 alkari Local Government - Bouchi 290.00 79 Alhaji lamolla Ha^ji 10.00 80 Guladima Kukuraji 5 .00 81 Àudu Malaizu 30 .0 0 82 Qyeleke and Sons 500.00 83 Alhaji Isa Seriki Sabongari 21.00 84 Alhaji Hokudi Keffi 10.00 05 Wakliu Terana Binu 5.0 0 86 Alhaji Abu BaAar - A U i 20.00

o/f • 87,851.00 K Vf fv o \ÛS8SSSlSSS8S8S«SSîS}g^«S83 j?|

o t. e= 3 ' g & r a . H 'U N ' ' 8 "I 0 3 o* 2* I I ï= K% 1 ; I I I î f i g « 3 2 % î ! g g !î! I I S U î!f n ;« B I i K ; O *9 g fi

ET s $ II E r i 3 § K s 8 r !

w «J

Pane 6 Appendix M Mo. Sauo lupxint Don-utod b/f i: 80 ,7 0 5 .6 0 127 Mr. li lyu I’nq m J ( 5:w in Local ik)Vt. ii'ua) 20.1HI I.IH J anil Vii»i «'l.u’ili.1 l'r<»i J irni iron) IM.I»' 1.19 Llkt 1 Jdiii - ditto - liO.tX) 130 ilhnji I'lillou r.nchi 5.00 131 Alii 50.00 132 losufu Rujojz 2 0.0 0 133 in bn k ill 20.00 134 Lnwnl Maj-iau 20.00 135 Iro Majin Waiyo 20.00 136 II layoku - anriu 1.10 137 II liuund.i - Borin 5.00 138 II J.K. Hillnii fnchl 1.05 139 ll.nimn U a\ DuM 5 .0 0 140 .ilhiijl inph'i Hoz’ikii 3.00 I'll .aiinjj iHiri Knbnln 5.00 142 A. 11 & J0I19 (U uU o Hiicu & Uons) 100.00 143 illhujl Hallon Jitau 3,00 144 II Kni Mnloli 10.00 145 n Tsoho BndOMO 5 .00 146 n Vbudu Kuril 10.00 147 n Huan J-nknta 10.00 148 Tukur Zada 10.00 149 II Bello ibdul I a Iu 10.00 150 .ail Bigo 3 .0 0 151 issr’ilni 5 .0 0 152 Muru Bnba Kalucha 5 .0 0 153 II Hohomod Gall Dnura 250.00 154 II .Iddo 20.00 155 II dauid Bantakoi 20.00 156 Sabi Hstriet Council Club 2.00 157 BLBo il'ilduro - (iwanl 5 .0 0 158 2aki Toolco intn Cwinl 5 .00 159 Taoho Ratiu Gusau 2 .0 0 160 Albaji .ibdu Honza 5 .0 0 161 rtai. Kurw.1 Jibril 5 .0 0 162 Hiyrl Jibril 5 .00 163 Hok.'iou G. 5 .0 0 164 u.lkali U. 5 .0 0 165 S o t U d Kwenku 10.00 166 SrlB. G.O* Bjiga 100.00

e/f iJ 89,395.75 378

Appendix M 7 tipount Donated b/f ü 89,395.75 167 Hauza Jiodajra - K xluna 5.00 168 " H. Laval Auta 5.00 169 " Huktar Sulaition 2.00 170 " Ibrohio Modaw ili 10.00 171 " Salnu Hohnuviod 10.00 172 " 'Joriki Xaknro 5.00 173 Mall.ui ï(ibiu loi ik 5.10 174 Àlhaji ll".ln Tafida 50.0U 175 " ti'irua.”. Hoshiciu 1.00 176 Shagalu T. Don - Kaduna 5.00 177 Dr. Auta Gvnni Molali 5.00 178 .ilhoji Hassan Kao 10.00 179 liallaa Hassan Dan Katsina 2.00 180 Ibrahin Turaku 2.00 181 Kiuoa Social Club 2.00 182 Hoharjaod S u l o m n 2.00 183 Alhaji Hohoükiod Katchi 15.00 184 Inus Hakuzutu 2.00 185 iLlbaji Boblibu 10.00 186 " Abdu Hejirln 10.00 187 " A. Otaru 5.00 188 " Mai - Kaduna 5.00 189 " ïnr Hona 50.00 190 United Niqorian l'cxtile Lioited 2,000.00 191 Alhaji Audu 3orio 5.00 192 Inïvontin 'Inters - K.-uluni 100.00 193 A. ..bdu Ihlyud. > Katlun't 1,000.00

TOTAL — î: 92,855.85

FISAL ST;iT3KEHT 1) Cheques 75,125.00 2) Cash 5,030.35 3) Frcuises 12,700.00

TOTAL — » 92,865.85

A i m i T a'i»Ka> ÂÎTH CO-OPStLiTlVE B.1HK, KADDNa C 80,155.85

Figure frou above 0 92,855.85

Figure fron Kaduna r 92,855.85

Sgd. (SNIOLA SOCBBaiR (DB.) Secretory Fund doiaing Cocxiittee. 379

Appendix M Page 8

HiMS SAisiaa - kaiuka ph*«b tt

Ho« Mane ^nnjr^t nonatad

1 Bomo üoTemment e 10,000.00 2 Uorno Oitizuuo 20,000.00 3 Mendel St.ita Govemnent 10,000.00 4 Oongola jtatu Gcvemnont 12,000.00 5 11 Coonisaiioners ut "100.00 each 1,100.00 6 Chambers of Com^ioroo (I'rouiae Plod) 500.00 7 Surdeal En;?inaeri% Co. 10.00 8 M ’idu,ni Wabfdcon V7ayo 500.00 9 u matool K.iduna 1,000.00 10 Anonymous 33.90

if 55,143.90 380

BIBLIOGRAPHY 381

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

Alderman, Richard B., Psychological Behavior in Sports, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia; W.B. Saunders Co., 1974.

Bennett, Bruce L., Comparative Physical Education and Sport. Pennsylvania: Philadelphia; Lea & Febiger, 1975.

Brailsford, Dennis, Sports and Society, Toronto: University of Toronoto Press, 1969.

Brown, Roscoe C ., Classical Studies on Physical Activity, New Jersey: Englewood Cliffs; Prentxce-Hall, Inc., 1968.

Bucher, Charles A., Administration of Health and Physical Education Programs Including Athletics, Missouri: St. Louis; The C.V. Mosby Co., 1975.

, Administration Dimensions of Health and Physical Education Programs Including Athletics, Missouri: St. Louis; The C.V. Mosby Co., 1971.

______, Foundations of Physical Education, Missouri: St. Louis; The C.V. Mosby Co., 1964.

Cobb, Robert A. and Lepley, Paul M. , Contemporary Philosophy of Physical Education and Athletics, Ohio: Columbus; Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co., 1973.

Cratty, Bryant J., Psychology and Physical Activity, New Jersey: Englewood Cliffs; Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.

Daughtry, Greyson and Woods, Physical Education Programs: Organization and Administration, Pennsylvania: Phila­ delphia; W.B. Saunders Co., 1971.

Ellis, Michael J., Why People Play, New Jersey: Englewood Cliffs; Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1973.

Gerber, Ellen M . , Innovators and Institutions in Physical Education, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Lea & Febiger, TTTT.

Griffiths, Daniel E ., Administrative Theory, New York: Apple- ton-Century-Crofts, 1965. 382

Harris, Dorothy V., Involvement in Sport; A Somatopsychic Rationale for Physical Activity, Pennsylvania: Phila­ delphia; Lea & Febiger, 1973.

Healey, John H. and Healey, William A., Administrative Prac­ tices in Boys and Firls Interscholastic Athletics, Illinois: Springfield; Charles C. Thomas Co., 1976.

Hellison, Donald R., Humanistic Physical Education, New Jersey: Englewood Cliffs; Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1973.

Hjelte, George and Shievers, Jay S., Public Administration of Recreational Services, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia; Lea & Febiger, 1972.

Hughes, William et al.. Administration of Physical Education for Schools and Colleges, New York: Ronald Books, 1962.

Hunsicker, Paul, ed.. Administrative Theory and Practice in Athleteics and Physical Education^ Illinois : Chicago; The Athletic Institute, 1973.

Hyatt, Ronald W . , Intramural Sports Programs; Their Organiza­ tion and Administration, Missouri; St. Louis, The C.V. Mosby Co., 1975.

Lockhart, Aileen S. and Slusher, Howard S., Anthology of Con­ temporary Readings in Physical Education, Iowa: Dubuque; Wm. C. Brown Co. Publishers, 1975.

Martens, Rainer, ed.. Scientific Perspectives of Physical Activity, New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1974.

Miller, G., et al.. Your Physical Education, Missouri: Manchester; McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1970.

Munrow, A. David, Physical Education; A Discussion of Princi­ ples , London: G. Bell & Sons Ltd., 1973.

Osterhoudt, Robert, ed., The Philosophy of Sport, Illinois: Springfield; Charles C. Thomas Co., 1973.

Peterson, James A., ed., Intramural Administration Theory and Practices, New Jersey: Englewood Cliffs; Prentice-Hall Inc., 1976.

Resick, Matthew C. , et al,. Modern Administration Practices in Physical Education and Athletics, Massachuetts: Reading; Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., 1974.

Rokosz, Francis M. , Structured Intramurals, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia; W.B. Saunders Co., 1975. 383

Rushall, Brent S. and Siedentop, Daryl, The Development and Control of Behavior in Sport and Physical Education, Pehnsulvania; Philadelphia; Lea & Febiger, 1972.

Sanborn, Marion Alice and Hartman, Betty G., Issues in Physi­ cal Education, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia; Lea & Febiger, 1964.

Scott, Harry A. and Westkaemper, Richard B., From Programs to Facilities in Physical Education, New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1958.

Shievers, Jay S. and Hjelte, George, Planning Recreational Places, New Jersey: Cranbury; Fairleigh Dickinson Uni­ versity Press, 1971.

Thompson, John C., Physical Education for the 1970's, New Jersey: Englewood Cliffs; Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1971.

Tillman, Albert A., The Program Book for Recreation Profes­ sionals , California: Palo Alto; The National Press, 1973.

Ulrich, Celeste, The Social Matrix of Physical Education, New Jersey: Englewood Cliffs; Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.

VanderZwaag, Harold J., Towards a Philosophy of Sport, Massachuetts: Reading; Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., 1972.

Weston, Arthur, The Making of American Physical Education, New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1965.

Williams, Jesse Feiring, et al.. Physical Education Adminis­ tration, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia; Lea & Febiger, 1958.

Zeigler, E.F. and Spaeth, Marcia J., Administration Theory and Practice in Physical Education and Athletics, New Jersey: Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1975.

Zeigler, Earle F. and VanderZwaag, Harold J., Physical Educa­ tion: Progressivism or Essentialism? Illinois: Champaign; Stipes Publishing Co., 1968.

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Baker, Gertrude, "Survey of the Administration of Physical Education in Public Schools in the Unitied States." Research Quarterly: Vol. 33, No. 4, December, 1962, pp. 632-636. 384

Corbin, Charles, "The Professional Process," The Physical Educator of Phi Epailon Kappa; Vol. 23, No. 4, December, 1966, pp. 173-175.

Huester, Laura J., "The Body of Knowledge in Physical Educa­ tion," The Physical Educator of Epsilon Kappa; Vol. 22, No. 1, March, 1965, pp. 6-8.

Norred, Robert Gaines, "Relating to Administration," Journal of Health, Physical Education and Recreation; Vol. 45, No.l, March, 1965, pp. 6-8.

Schwartz, Esar, "Romanticism in Physical Education," The Physical Educator of Phi Epsilon Kappa: Vol. 23, No. 3, October, 1966, pp. 111-114.

Sprandel, Dennis S., "Athletic Administration; Historical Criticism and Comment," The Physical Educator of Phi Epsilon Kappa: Vol. 29, No. 3, December, 1972, pp. 124- 127.

, "A Crisis in Athletic Administration," The Phy­ sical Educator of Phi Epsilon Kappa: Vol. 31, No. 1, March, 1974, pp. 44-47.

Thompson, R.W., "Philosophic Processes: Foundation for Physi­ cal Education Programs," New Zealand Journal of Health Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 5, N o , 3, March, 1972, pp. 13-15.

Zeigler, Earle F ., "Advantages of a Totally Unified Organiza­ tional Structure for Physical Education and Sports in a University Setting," The Physical Educator of Phi Epsi­ lon Kappa: Vol. 32, No. 4, May, 1975, pp. 48-51.

THESES AND DISSERTATIONS

Adedeji, John Ademola, "The Role of Physical Education in the Nation Building of Nigeria," Unpublished doctoral dis­ sertation, The Ohio State University, 1972.

Hall, Sydney Owen, "The Role of Physical Education and Sport in the Nation Building Process in Kenya," Unpublished doctoral dissertation. The Ohio State University, 1973.

Ogunbiyi, Daniel Ogungbenjo, "The Development of Nigeria's Participation in International Sport Competition and Its Effect on the Nation," Unpublished doctoral dissertation. The Ohio State University, 1978. 385

Okafor, Udodiri Paul, "The Interaction of Sports and Politics as a Dilemma of the Modern Olympic Games," Unpublished doctoral dissertation. The Ohio State University, 1979.

Zirkin, Wayne, "Toward a Theory of Human Development: The Reconceptualization of a Humanistic Base for Education," Unpublished doctoral dissertation. The Ohio State Uni­ versity, 1977.

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