A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

In the space of nine months John Owan Enoh has made remarkable progress in sports , writes Diana-Mary Nsan 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s choice of Senator John Owan Enoh as Sports Minister was an act of wisdom. 

The minister’s assumption of office was welcomed with doubts.  At first, some considered him a novice to the sports sector. At the moment, it is clear the sector needed a leader with no encumbrances or strings attached to the sector to enable him face the job head on. That clearly is the case. Senator John Owan Enoh has displayed a dogged will, sheer passion and forthrightness in the discharge of his duty as sports minister. 

For him to have a firm grasp of the sports sector, John Owan Enoh first did a critical analysis of the sector. He identified the problems and opportunities. He had extensive stakeholders engagements, then began implementing a raft of policies to usher in enduring systemic change. These policies, some of which are revolutionary, have led  to accelerated development of sports in the country. They include but not limited to the following: -Welfare: Activating and enabling a welfare system that caters for serving and retired athletes, as well as an annual recognition platform.

With Enoh’s priority presentation to the Presidency,  President Tinubu graciously cleared all the debts accumulated by the former administration in the funding of football, in excesses of N12 billion. This speaks monumentally to looking out for the welfare of sports men and women.  

He displayed transparency and openness in the disbursement of athletes’ funds, by paying through the apex bank for the 13th All Africa Games. This policy ensures that no athlete is shortchanged under the leadership of Senator Enoh. 

He ensures constant visitation and follow up checks on injured athletes during and after competitions and ensures the commencement of an insurance scheme for athletes.

To end the usual bickering amongst athletes and officials, he’s pushing for the establishment of a Court of Arbitration to handle matters within the sector instead of resort to civil courts. This speaks to his love for decorum as a leader.

Activation of sports as business: Sports as a means and source of livelihood and entertainment to Nigerians. The minister’s adoption of the National Sports Industry Policy clearly shows his genuine intention of developing the sports sector by seeing it  as business. The future of Nigerian sports lies in the private sector, this is an advocacy of the minister. His engaging with key players in the private sector is a testimony to his desire to further develop the NSIP to securing the interest of the private sector. An example is the capitalization of the local leagues currently underway.

Infrastructure development: Investment in building and revamping stadia, as well as focus on grassroots sports facilities. Senator John Owan Enoh kicked off his tenure with the inspection of sporting facilities at national and zonal levels and is currently partnering private sector for the rehabilitation of existing infrastructure. A key example is the partnership with EFFA Management which covers rehabilitation of sporting facilities.

Funding for sports development: Exploring collaborative funding models between the government and the private sector. 

Groundbreaking agreements with key private sector players like GTI Assets and Yanga Games Ltd on the 19th of April 2024 are indications of the resolve to revolutionize sports in Nigeria, leveraging innovation, technology, and human expertise. 

Activation of grassroots sports development: Senator Enoh’s push for early age (under-18) sports and revitalization of school sports, introducing of NIN submission to enable thorough screening of athletes at the Youth Games are also aimed to allow the actual age range of between 13and18 years participate so new talents can be discovered.. 

Through partnerships, the ministry relaunched the Challenge Cup and rechristened it as the President Federation Cup in collaboration with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to reignite interest amongst fans and elevate it to global standards. The renamed competition will involve grassroots teams, create employment for approximately 500,000 Nigerians, engage over 100,000,000 football enthusiasts, and showcase our country’s greatness globally. The President Federation Cup will become President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s legacy championing Nigerian football. 

Reorganisation of Sports Federations for impact: Sports Governance and effectiveness of Sports Federations plays key role in the success or failure of any nation in sports. This is why this administration is key on the 

implementation of the 10-year football master plan, expansion of the NFF congress amongst many other initiatives.

Furthermore, the Hon. Minister of Sports Development gives attention to the nation’s performance in sports. He set up a Ministerial Podium Performance Team to handle training load management, improved performance of athletes, accountability of sports administrators, anti-doping education, scientific approach to training programmes, amongst other professional management details that leave athletes in peak form for competitions. Teams that comply with the plan always perform excellently. A clear case was the 13th All African Games in Accra, Ghana. wrestling, boxing, athletics and weightlifting came out tops at the Games. These athletes did not only win gold medals at the African Games, they set new records and also qualified for the 2024 Olympics in Paris starting in July.

Fifty-two African countries competed for honours in 29 sports at the African Games out of which Nigeria participated in 25 of them. Nigeria had an outstanding performance, finishing second. In all, Nigeria picked a total number of 121 medals composed of 47 gold, 33 silver and 41 bronze. Team Nigeria won the overall best team in athletics with 11 gold medals, six silver medals and four bronze medals with Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi setting a new world record in the javelin event at the Games with a throw of 82.80 metres. Team Nigeria emerged overall best in boxing in the continent with a total of eight gold medals and two silver medals. 

Nigeria’s Omolara Ogunmakinju put up an impressive performance in the 4×400 mixed relay by out running her opponent in the final leg of the events to win gold medal for the country. The race was the talk of the day. In Swimming, Nigeria broke a 33-year- old jinx by winning a medal. We also won a medal in Handball after decades of participating in the Games.

In all, the first year of Nigerian Sports under the watch of Senator Enoh has been a monumental success.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria against all odds, won Silver Medal in Africa’s most prestigious tournament the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after 23 years.

On assumption of office, the minister rallied the senior national team players to rebuild the spirit of patriotism. This paid off as the team, against all odds, fought their way to the final match against the host country, Côte d’Ivoire and finished as runners up.

Besides,  after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) totally snubbed Nigerian match officials in its 2023 AFCON list, the minister called together all stakeholders and declared a state of emergency on refereeing in the country. This led to the establishment of a roadmap for the rejuvenation of officiating in the country. Now, Nigerian match officials have been listed as part of the pool for international competitions by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) for the year 2024. 

Third, the Senior Women’s National team of Nigeria, the Super Falcons were named the Team of the Year in Africa at the 2023 CAF Awards. The team also achieved a top 10 placement globally, at the end of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Fourth, Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie was named the first ever African Goalkeeper of the Year at the 2023 CAF Awards just as Elizabeth Oshoba became the first Nigerian female boxer to win a world title. Senator John Owan Enoh is a strong supporter of women in sports and his backing of Elizabeth was instrumental in her run to clinching the world title, thereby flying the flag of the country high.

 Under Sen. John Enoh’s reign, Nigeria qualified for the Youth Winter Olympics for the first time ever in South Korea.

 Team Nigeria athletes have started to secure qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to be held in the summer of 2024. The minister has set up a high-powered ministerial committee to strategically prepare a roadmap for the Games and also enhance the nation’s chances of finishing well at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Attention is paid to every detail including athletes’ hygiene. Tobi Amusan sets new African Women’s indoor record in the 60-meter hurdles at the Astana Indoor Meet In Kazakhstan and a World lead time at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational.

That’s not all. Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen became African Footballer of the Year. The first Nigerian to win the award in 24 years. 

And Nigeria’s Basketball, Rivers Hoopers team qualified for the quarterfinals of the ongoing Sahara Conference of Basketball Africa League (BAL) in Dakar, Senegal.  This is the first time in history that a Nigerian basketball team will be playing at this stage. The 4x400m relay set a new African record of 3.12. 87 first time in 28 years. All these achievements coming within the space of nine months of Senator Enoh in office.

Suffice it therefore to say that Senator John Owan Enoh is a complete breath of fresh air in the Nigerian sport sector. Under his leadership, the sector is making progress in monumental proportions.

Mrs Nsan is the S.A. Media to the Honourable Minister of Sports Development