The Uncertain Future Of Nigerian Sports Talents

Look around you, more youths are playing football, basketball, and even training to be recognized athletes in the nearest future, however with the very evident lack of standard facilities and inefficiently run talent development systems in the country what is the fate of these ones in the coming years?
Nigeria has in previous years enjoyed continental and world dominance in almost every sports the nation sent representatives to - basking in the glory of victories won by homebred talents like Nojeem Maiyegun (boxing), Innoent Egbunike (Atheltics), Chioma Ajunwa (Multi-Sport), Segun Odegbami (Football), Enefiok Udo-obong (Athletics), Mercy Akide (Football), Dick Tiger (boxing), Austin Okocha (Football), Stephen Keshi (Football) and a host of others.
Time was supposed to make it even better with the use of elaborate training technologies and facilities to further help hone the talents of indigenous sports persons. Howbeit the reverse has been the case in recent years with significant decline in almost all sports.
A Solution That Was Never Implemented
A solution to curb all the excesses ailing sports in the country reside in the Nigeria National Sports Policy, yet the nation only dwells in the shadows of glories past.
Nigeria’s Sports Policy is a well of very detailed information and instructions that if followed to the letter can alter the fate of sports in Nigeria for good.
Some pivotal points in the policy include the full-on co-ordination of sports development programmes at all levels of government.
The introductory part of the document states, “sport authorities at the National, State and Local Government levels shall undertake periodic assessment of sporting activities to check weaknesses, capacity gaps and adopt appropriate programme of action to correct them”
Even at grassroots levels, there are no provisions for these, how then can our sports be better when the white paper for it has been shoved aside?
Recommendation
Many Nigerians leave the shores of the country to other promising nations of the world and end up doing remarkably well for them, look at Divine Oduduru for instance, a five-time African Junior Champion, yet he never got a chance to grow above his skill level until his career came to a standstill.
In a statement by the athlete just before the 2016 Olympic Games, Oduduru complained abut the poor welfare of Nigerian athletes sating that “athletes will go out and represent a country, you come back with nothing, this should be a shame to Nigeria because Nigerian athletes we are suffering”
Oduduru got a scholarship to the University of Texas and ever since the sprinter has held nothing back, smashing two long-kept Texas Tech records and from all indications there’s a lot more we’ll still see the athlete achieve in coming years.
What changed?
Oduduru was obviously exposed to better coaching and training facilities, he even looks better and speaks a lot better now.
So talent is not at all Nigeria’s problem, organization and management is the core issue.