About one hundred participants attended the first National Sports Seminar organized by Success Tiyu International on Monday in Lokoja where the new road maps were drawn for sport development in Nigeria.
Five key papers were delivered by top sports technocrats at the seminar that took place at the Sky Blue Hotel in Lokoja.
A security expert and a consultant to Nigeria Football Federation, NFF on refereeing, Elder Daniel Olokor delivered paper on curbing sports hooliganism and ensuring enough security at match venues.
Elder Olokor blamed administrators, players, match officials and fans for the unnecessary uproars witnessed at match venues just as he charged club managers and other actors of the game to wake up to their duties and ensuring maximum security at match venues.
“Security at match venue can never be over emphasized because of some of these factors which includes, lack of adequate knowledge of the game on the part of match officials, club officials and the fans, the win at home syndrome, lack of fitness on the part of the match officials, inconsistency of the interpretation and application of the laws of the game, especially the yearly amendments of the laws of game and tactical deficiency on the part of the team coach among others.
“Prevention of football hooliganism requires a concerted and continuous response, despite important transnational resemblances, football hooliganism is nested within particular (local) fan cultures and its prevention strategies should therefore be designed to fit local needs,” he said.
A medical practitioner, Mrs Olufunke Kajuini lectured the participants on the need to discourage drug abuse and doping, especially in team sports which she described as career threatening. She explained that major effects of performance enhancing drugs on the body were physical and physiological.
Mrs Kajuini who is also the president of National Association of Women in Sports, NAWIS and a handball veteran added that “Coaches and health care provider in team sports should provide evidence-based, safe alternatives to the performance enhancing drugs’ use, including optimal nutrition, weight training, strategies and psychological approaches to improving performance, which would help with athlete’s confidence in the natural abilities.”
In the paper titled ‘How to Develop Sports from Grassroots’ delivered by sports academician, Sule Okeme from Federal University Lokoja, FUL, policy makers in sports sectors were charged to encourage school sports, create enabling environment and upgrade infracstructure for sports to sprout.
Shogo Shodunnke who presented paper on how to checkmate match fixing in team sports said sports men and women need to be educated about match fixing, the risks and disadvantages.
Shodunnke who is certified sports manager by FIFA and CEO of Phreestyle Sports noted that “an independent police investigation presence is needed to bring sanity into our sport, players, coaches, administrators and other major actors should be well paid to avoid being lured into fixing or gambling.”
CAF and FIFA instructor, Mohammed Ameenu informed participants on the new amendment laws governing football as approved by IFAB and FIFA just as he commended the organizers for the initiative.
General Secretary of National Association of Nigerian Professional Footballers, NANPF, Austin Popo who lauded the initiative of the seminar used the forum to reel out NANPF’s plans to improve lives of their members.
Chairman of Kogi State Football Association, Mallam Suleiman Isah Umar who chaired the events praised the efforts of Success Tiyu for organizing such a laudable seminar urging the relevant stakeholders to join forces with the firm for a better organized events subsequently.
Earlier in a remark, Director of Success Tiyu International, Musa Abubakar said the need to organize the seminar became necessary as stakeholders in the sector needed fresh ideas to promote the sector. He called for collaboration with relevant bodies to further championing the course of developing and promoting sports in the country.
Present at the seminar were school sports officers, coaches and managers of various football teams in Nigeria, heads of sports units from higher institution and individual.
