HS Group Media Forum Raises the Alarm over Nigeria’s Rio2016 Participation

Nigeria’s poor preparations for major competitions especially for the fast approaching 2016 Rio Olympics has become a source of concern to leading sports editors and managers of the country’s newspapers and electronic organs as well as former Olympians.

The forum therefore called for the restructuring of Sports in Nigeria which should involve deliberate plans to revive School Sports and getting passionate and credible persons with ideas to run the sports federations.

“The forum called for deliberate plans to incorporate funding from the private sector with attractive waivers to get corporate organisations more involved in sports, while the government should ensure conducive environment through the provision and maintenance of sports facilities.

It also noted with sadness that “there is an unprecedentedly high turnover of sports ministers in Nigeria, which in itself is an indication of having wrong people in charge of this very important area of our national life.”

The forum therefore “called on President Muhammadu Buhari should forthwith ensure that only knowledgeable person is made to head the Sports Ministry.”

Special Guest speakers at the gathering include Nigeria’s greatest quarter-miler of all time and Olympic silver medalist, Falilat Ogunkoya-Omotayo and Sydney 2000 Olympic 4x400m relay gold medalist,EnefiokUdo-Obong  and the Chairman/CEO HS Media Group, Mr. Taye Ige, who was the chief host.

A communiqué issued at the end of an Editors’ Forum hosted by HS Media Group at its corporate headquarters in Oregun, Lagos last Friday, noted that the non-preparation was a reflection of an almost total collapse of sports structure in Nigeria.