Fashola Calls For Long-Term Strategy To Fix Nigeria’s Sports Industry

Former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has urged Nigeria’s sports sector to abandon “quick fixes” and adopt a decade-long development plan.

Former Lagos State Governor and immediate past Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has called for a long-term, sustainable approach to developing Nigeria’s sports industry, warning against the temptation of quick fixes.

Fashola made the remarks on Sunday while delivering a keynote address at the book presentation of veteran sports journalist Mumini Alao’s autobiography, held at the Tayo Aderinokun Hall, University of Lagos.

His speech, titled “Re-thinking the Current Football Business Model in Nigeria as a Catalyst for Sports Development”, examined the need for both private and public sectors to embrace strategies that will create a viable sports business framework.

“As has been the case with many challenges we have confronted, the solutions are within reach if we are prepared to do the hard work, enforce the rules and delay gratification,”

Fashola said. “We must not look for quick fixes. I subscribe to the idea of a 10-year plan and a decade of commitment to sports development.”

He stressed that the starting point should be creating a sustainable and attractive structure before worrying about funding.

“Almost too often, we agonise about funding without developing a workable plan,” he noted.

Fashola cited his tenure as Lagos governor as an example, where a year-round sports calendar was developed from school sports between March and June, to table tennis, squash, swimming, scrabble, the Governor’s Lawn Tennis Cup, and the Boxing Day finals at Rowe Park.

The initiative, he said, not only produced talents for state and national teams but also re-engaged sponsors like Chief Rasak Okoya (Asoju Oba Cup), FCMB, Etisalat, Julius Berger, and other major brands.

The former governor, who has been widely recognised for his role in sports promotion, was recently honoured by the International Table Tennis Federation Africa, which named the maiden edition of the ITTF Africa Youth Cup after him.

Sports247.ng