Revisit The Youth And Sports Sector

In reference to my article in 2005 shortly before the U-17 continental tourney on the above caption, I write this salient points on that write up that are still staring us on to our faces. As colossal investments are made in the sector; but do these transcend on the desired national objectives on the development agenda from the said sector is the one million dollar question that I will endeavour to answer here.

Yes without doubt the government of the day is targeting the sky as the limit in the sector by the right interventions of setting up structures, such as the National Youth Service Scheme, National Sports Council, among  many others, by pumping in lot of funds and investing heavily on it, both in material and human resources. Alas how effective and functional are these institutions? Are they being manned by competent personnel to yield the desired results? A synopsis of glaring square pegs in round hole in most of these domains only for potential that can move and shake the said domains to achieve miracles and miracles of development are kept at bay, thus the cankerworm of ostracziation which is characteristic of the scenario and very prevalent in the youth and sports sector. All the pandemonium in that sector is because  the body that is to regulate, monitor and map out strategies on the way forward had been found wanting from the inception.

After repeated calls for reforms and sanity to prevail to see eye-to-eye in this regard, the said body National Sports Council was hastily dissolved in the violation of the constitutional dictates. To save face, the recently held National Sports conference was held at least,  but failed short to getting action thereafter as the dossier emanating  from the conference three months on is yet to be  validated  and the interim arrangement devoid of provincial representation  is perpetuated: why and why  not are the burning issues  to be  projected, but due to the lack of national coverage and the output of the projections by the  pioneers like my humble self, the National Youth Service Scheme thirteen years on could have yielded the required skilled labour that was envisaged at the conceptualization.

The apprenticeship approach spelt out in my write up on the need for the National Youth Scheme in 1995 January on the Observer is executed to the letter. Unfortunately, with all these good projection, counsels and pragmatic steps to better the sector. I am still left with the lurch to be contributing from without as in this write up, hence the ostracziation syndrome.

However, the way forward is to warrant a flow of ideas to better this sector. As this is in tandem with the national goals of the development for both the sector and cohort to sustain our national fabric as in the old adage youth is the bedrock of society and any investment on it can actualise the dreams and aspirations of any society, hence the leadership can be assured of an energetic, skilled and etiquette populace in the future for prosperity.

May I therefore propose a national debate on the issue to begin at the wards, Vous, social functions to mushroom into a national confab as the interim arrangements are done away with by December. Can this be oblige?