My Binoculars

A feature on the reflection on 2024: Bitter Lessons from the flood in greater Maiduguri which terminated over 150 lives

By: Bodunrin Kayode

The recent flood which swept almost 200 lives off the face of the earth in Maiduguri has become a landmark of destruction which no resident in his right senses would wish for a reoccurrence. The Borno state capital Maiduguri is the home of extreme temperatures but surely that flood was not meant to cool down the city. It was a raging flow of Alau dam water which locked and killed many in their homes because it came at a very odd hour of the night when residents were asleep. Imagine waking up in your sleep by a surge of cold water touching the edge of your bed. Peeping through the window to see that both your locked doors and windows have been inundated by water waiting to take you out of this world. That was what happened to a fifteen year old boy name withheld and myriad of other vulnerable residents of greater Maiduguri.

Indeed many State capitals in the country have witnessed such deluges but not all due to unnatural factors as was in the case of the collapse of the Alau Dam which has become an albatross on the shoulders of Governor Babagana Zulum the Chief security officer of the state. I actually sympathized with Prof Zulum within my inner man when this damnation befell the city centre of Maiduguri. This is
because the man’s battle with the bloody 15 year old insurgency is far from over. And then came this tragedy with the flood raging into the low level areas of the city centre living sorry, tears and sudden death for those who could not swim out of their homes by that wee hour of the night of September 10th 2024. Most residents in parts of Konduga, Fori, Gwange, customs market and fly over, bayan quarters, Moro Moro, Aabaganaran, Shehu’s Palace area, Post office and Monday market, the State specialist hospital, zoo area, state secretariat, 505 Housing estate and many wards too numerous to explain were surrounded and killed while crying for distant help which never came. The flood suffocated the life out of some residents who took solace on their roof tops yet became submerged with their roofs caving after hours of waiting for help. Everyone was terrified about the speed which which the flood took over habitations of residents who could not escape. Those who took chances to swim could not behold the beauty of the first light of the following day. Even those who could swim lost control because the entire submerged city centre became an appendage of Lake Chad with roof tops doting about like the Tumbus islands over 300km away before that fateful 10th September 2024.

Bitter lessons and questions coming out of the raging flood water

Gentlemen, partners, there are so many lessons to learn from the recent flood which burst the sims of Alau dam and enveloped the city centre of Maiduguri. The obvious carelessness displayed by federal water engineers responsible to keep the Alau Dam stable and their inability to acknowledge that it would soon burst out of its sims was a major lesson to learn not to allow to be repeated. That the city of Maiduguri has been inundated by water once in which about 37 souls perished was also supposed to have been on the minds of the engineers as a lesson to have stuck into their brains. The very fact that the city had been laid waste before by similar angry floods was equally supposed to have propelled the resident engineers to have dived in to save the dam before the beginning of the rains but they failed. Rather they lied to the secretary to the state government Tijani Bukar who visited to ascertain the stability of the Dam and caused the government to drop its guard that all was well. That was the mother of all lessons which must never be forgotten.
The federal owners of the Dam knew that there was a threat underneath but instead of acting accordingly they left it to the mercy of the heavy rains to plunder the city of Maiduguri from almost 25 km away sending over 150 souls to the great beyond. That wicked flood incident of 2024 can never be forgotten by those who lost loved ones and properties which was dear to their existence in this world. The questions to ask ourselves after the devastation are many and it should bother both the federal managers and the state government. As a matter of fact, so many questions have been left unanswered after that damnation of 2024.

Primary among them was, did the Dam managers learn any big lesson from the 2024 flood? Were they negligent in allowing the Dam to burst its sims? Was it possible to save the Dam before its collapse? Who were the federal staff on ground that should have saved the situation? Was there any state staff involved in this dangerous dereliction of duty? Would there be repercussions for this mass murder of people due to the carelessness of some professionals? Is there any guarantee that maiduguri will not be flooded again from this same Dam? Can the residents be given an alternative source of drinking water other than what comes from Alau Dam? So many questions to bother the government and partners. And the whole world is waiting to see how many heads will roll while trying to answer these burning questions.

It is sad to note because the city of Maiduguri had been flooded in 1994 when heavy rains caused the banks of the Dam to burst emptying it’s contents into the same Maiduguri. 400,000 people were displaced then but over a million residents were displaced this time around. Many people climbed up trees to escape then but trust me there were no trees to climb this time because it caught them in their homes at the wee hours of the night. A few who sat on their strong roof tops were seen by military boats released by the 7div of the Nigerian army which had arrived by first light looking for who to save quickly.
The entire city centre including the Maiduguri specialist hospital was submerged under water. Driving in from baga road, I had to stop afyer the construction of the western area fly over of the town because the post office looked like a sea of some sorts. This was because everything below two metres were submerged leaving only rooftops for people to see. And sadly because Maiduguri is founded along the Ngadda river which usually disappears along the Firki swamps surrounding lake Chad, it took several days for the water to go down and for residents to return to their residences. The bursting of the man made Alau dam had destabilized the natural order of the surrounding swamps so everyone had to be on stand still till the extra water receded into the lake Chad sources for residential sanity to prevail. The Muna garage axis housing 505 housing estate was the last to receded making return to the place very difficult. The flooding brought in myriads of confusion as most agencies of government couldn’t realize the reality of the challenge associated with the flood until SEMA started dropping the mortality figures. Some even competed among themselves like petty human beings who introduce competition into every thing they do. Imagine one week after the health emergency sector started briefing reporters, that was when the information ministry started work at the complex of the ministry of RRR. It was wrongly called a situational room with just one commissioner present. All other stake holders were clearly absent.

Painful as it was, it took almost a week for the organized health sector to be reorientated from emergencies from insurgency and be activated into flood actions by the Commissioner of health Prof.. Baba Mallam Gana. Well for a health sector that was battling with monkey pox, diphtheria and several other challenges unearthed daily from the surveillance pillar, flood was the least challenge expected on their mind. There were much more important challenges which had to be fixed as quickly as possible. Nobody thought the challenges of the flood would advance to such a massive level as to cause so much damage as it did.

Mistakes made before the declaration of Cholera

While Professor Usman Tar was briefing newsmen intermittently at the RRR complex, the health commissioner was doing his at the emergency centre on damboa road with a much larger crowd of stake holders and collaborators in the business of saving lives. That itself was confusion because the newsmen interested in the details behind the news were confused. Expectedly, many mistakes were made managing the very flood by ministries, departments and parastatals which were supposed to work as a team. The information management of such disasters are done as team. Not the way it was done with the ministry of information holding a separate news conference and the health counterpart doing theirs separately. In organized climes, this kind of disasters are usually handled as a team. What was expected was that the health ministry should have worked with SEMA, ministry of health and any other ministry which had some clearance to make in a situation room which would disseminate the right kind of information to residents and the outside world.

When cholera was declared the Commissioners of health, information and State emergency management Agency (SEMA) should have been on the same table briefing news men while statistics of the mortality rates which was toyed with as if it doesn’t matter would have received maximum attention. There was nothing shameful about giving the exact number of people that died in the disaster because nobody expected less from a flood of that magnitude.

Again for emphasis, news conferences are not meant for everyone to attend. Journalists are never civil servants and do not understand how too play the eye service game like the bureaucratic class of people whose primary goals are to please their excellencies. We work for the common man who only we owe our allegiances to and not to the big men in authority. As a result, the next time the Commissioner is declaring another Cholera disaster as he did during the flood the hall should be populated by only the reporters invited and the commissioner and his permanent secretary. Health sector partners should not be taken out of their tight schedules to witness news conferences. It’s not their business to speak for government in such cases. It’s either the commissioner, his permanent secretary or incident manager and one or two other vital director who will assist the Professor with further details during the conference. What happened last year by the time Commissioner of health was briefing without the key partner for emergencies which is SEMA was a big wrong that should not be repeated in future briefings.

Again, you do not invite journalists to news conferences and expect them to stand. That is another big wrong that must bee avoided. Even photo journalists should be given the pleasure of sitting down before the real conference starts. Most of the journalists invited including top officers of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) were standing while unnecessary intruders were troubled out of their tight schedules to fill the spaces meant for journalists to sit down and do their jobs. If someone thinks what goes on in the government house is the ideal, then they are mistaken. That is not our standard at the NUJ nationwide. We just allow it sometimes because of the emergencies surrounding the city of Maiduguri. The next time another emergency wrecks havoc in the city of maiduguri or within the BAY states respectively, we expect to see the Commissioners of health, information, SEMA and any other important stake holder on the same page with facts and figure briefing newsmen under the same roof. You do not impress reporters with the entire crowd of sector members please. Just get the key stake holders and possibly pillar heads where necessary and we would be good to go. Finally never make the mistake of incorporating a news conference inside another program. It is not right and completely against the reason for calling a news conference which is aimed at generating news for the betterment of the people of the state.

Evaluation of the management of the flood by stakeholders

But by the time the flood arrived the city, the government people in the sector realized literally that there was too much fire on the mountain. Consequently, partners had to do something about saving the lives of the residents in the state capital before worrying about the opportunistic diseases like Cholera which actually come out of such situations from experience. Come to think of it all manner of diseases were sucked by the flood which went as far as desecrating the Gwange cemetery digging out corpses that were already buried in shallow graves and spreading same its trail.

However, on a whole, all hands were on deck to save the residents who were still alive. The military saw the extent of the damage and had to step in with boats to certain hard to reach areas to bring out survivors. Those who did not give up because of old age like octogenarians and sat down with rosary in hand meditating and waiting for the water to kill them in a titanic style. Many were rescued and many are still heart broken over the devastation after the water receded.

Finally, the flood left quite a trail of sorrow tears and blood along its routes as over 150 known souls perished as reported by SEMA. The unknown which includes almajiris who could not swim are not part of this statistics. Those who were pronounced dead by the health sector are not included. Those eaten up by wild animals from the zoo are also not part of this because they turned into faeces splashed in the water.
Those who died from shock in their hospital beds are also not included in this. The University of Maiduguri teaching Hospital (UMTH) and state specialist hospital communities will never forget the litany of woes that flood of September 2024 created for them.
My binocular cannot print out all the dark images I saw with my own eyes here but my prayer is that may this affliction never re occur in the land of Yerwa again.

My Binoculars

THE HISTORICITY OF MARAMA DAY AND THE SYMBOLISM OF CULTURE IN BURA LAND

By: Inuwa Bwala

Every year, since 2004, Bura people all over Nigeria converge on Marama: the symbolic headquaters of Buraland, on the 1st of January, to mark Bura Culture Day, also known as Marama Day.

Bura Culture Day evolved from a local cultural festival innitiated by some elites from Marama, who saw the need to foster community togetherness and promote their cultures and traditions. The initial perception was that Bura culture generally has been facing threats of extinction, and there was the need to rescue and restore its dignity, starting from where it was believed to have originated.

It was also conceived as a rhendezvous for rewarding excellence amongst outstanding sons and daughters and promoting partnership with other cultures.
To us, we need to discourage idle activities, like using the Christmas, Easter, or Sallah holidays as a period for alcoholic misadventures and attendant vices, we could convert the periods for more positive enggagements.
And so, what started as a small group initiative, which was sponsored through contributions, has today crystallized into a global attractiveness.

Over the years, since it was first staged, Marama Day has remained a watershed and the symbolism of Bura people’s dedication to promoting and preserving their rich cultural heritage.
It is one event that has tended to serve as a rhendezvous for all Bura people, irrespective of town, religion, or political inclination.
And those who have been following trends of events annually can attest to the fact that, Bura Culture Day or Marama Day remains a pace setter and the richest celebration of the diverse traditions, customs, and values of tribes across Borno Adamawa and Gombe states; where Bura people can be found.
Initiated against the need to revivee a fast disappearing Culture, and to inculcate the spirit of togetherness and, showcase, and reflect on the significance of cultural activities in the lives of people, Bura Culture, is indeed a mark of pride for Bura people, at home and in diaspora.

Over the years, State Governors, ministers, Senators, traditional rulers, captains of industries and the creme de la creme of the country’s inteligesia have been brought together, to watch, and celeberate and to foster a sense of togetherness.
Marama Day has always provided a platform for different people to express themselves, showcase talents, and share stories.
Besides promoting cross-cultural understanding, tolerance, and appreciation: by the participation of other cultural groups from outsude Bura land, Bura Day is also regarded as the climax of activities to mark Christmas and New Year. Through this festival, people tend to learn from each other’s experiences, traditions, and values, and in doing so, it reshaped our outlook and helps people to break down barriers and build bridges of friendship across cultures, tribes, religion and state.

Bura Culture Day has a profound impact on the mental and emotional well-being of people, which explains why all roads led to Marama during this period. It provides an opportunity for our children born outside Buraland to trace their roots, learn to speak the language properly, and interact with the locals.

For those of us who had the privilege of witnessing all the editions, it provides an outlet for stress, anxiety, and other negative emotions and helps us to develop a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
With the belief that culture is a stimulant for economic development and social cohesion, Bura Day creates jobs and stimulates local economies, besides helping to preserve our cultural heritage for future generations.

The 2025 celebrations, was appropriately tagged”Celeberating A Heritage of Excellence”, and those who were previledged to witness it can attest to the fact that, it was indeed a remembrance of the importance of cultural activities in the lives of people.
The cultural displays, dances, rythms, artifacts and personalities left no one in doubt that, Bura Culture Day is indeed the flagship of other cultural activities and has promoted the preservation of the unique cultural heritage of the Bura people.
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum and his deputy, Dr Umar Usman Kadafur, as well as the Emir of Biu, the emir of Fika, Shani, as well as the Amna Shelleng and the traditional head of Lunguda people from Adamawa state have over the years strengthened our bond if friendship, which further lead to the the lure of Marama Day. Their presence have facilitated closer cultural linkages, culminating into inter marriages..

In their individual remarks, they emphasized the use of cultural activities as a tool for building stronger, more cohesive communities.
It is not out of place to also state that Bura people have always paid special tribute to these individuals, who have added color to Bura Culture Day celeberations.
Bura people have often honored individuals during the event, and it is on record, that Bura have always honored, Governors of Borno State, especially Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, the Deputy Governor, Dr Umar Usman Kadafur, who is coincidentally a son of Marama, distinguished senator, Mohammed Ali Ndume, and the honorable member representing Askira-Uba/Hawul Federal constituency, Midala Usman Balami and other political and opinion leaders.

Very often, we have tried to insulate Marama Day from political activities, but very often too, some political side events also happen. This is perhaps due to the presence of jey political figures, who use the occasion to market themselves.
Given that having such personalities in the locality at the same time is a rare privilege, Marama people never miss the opportunity to put forward some of their problems.
We utilize such opportunities to inform our guests that the sustainability of Bura Culture Day is contigent upon solutions to some of our problems. We did not allow this opportunity to skip this year, as we outlined some of them.
As I pause, I must state that, Bura Culture Day shall continue to celeberate, our diversity promote our culture: the heritage of excellence; and the years ahead beacons on those who have been reluctant to join, so that together we can make a huge difference.

THE HISTORICITY OF MARAMA DAY AND THE SYMBOLISM OF CULTURE IN BURA LAND

My vision is to engage Nigerian youths in sports to promote national pride on the global stage and grassroots developments without political infiltrations, says Senator Obinna Ogba

On moving Nigerian sports forward in Nigeria highlight a task that is long overdue. For any renewal move to be achieved, drastic steps and deliberate actions need to be upheld. A former senator representing Ebonyi Central Senatorial District in the 8th and 9th Assemblies, Senator Obinna Joseph Ogba, who is also a sports administrator, hails from Amanvu-
Nkalagu Community in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Senator Obinna bares his mind on ways Nigerian sports can take its place in the community of sports nations.

Excerpt:

We heard of your move from PDP to APC. What informed your decision and belief in this government?

A political party is like a vehicle that can convey you to a destination, and when you get there, it becomes about Nigeria. I never liked APC as a party before, but Senator Oluremi Tinubu talked me through it while we were at the Senate together. She was then the chairman of my committee. It was then I began to yield to APC agendas.
The party I belonged to also disenfranchised me from the Ebonyi State governorship ticket. Myself and others, like my mentor in Ebonyi State, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, decided to support APC before the election. It’s therefore wrong for people to assume I just joined APC after the 2023 election. So far, so good. We have been doing well and making efforts to contribute our own quotas, hoping that one day our names can come out at the national level.

Can you mention some of your scorecards during your terms in the 8th and 9th Assemblies?

I don’t like blowing my own trumpet but prefer people to talk about my achievements. However, let me mention them. No senator from Ebonyi State has done what I did since the state’s creation in 1996. I built a stadium while I was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Youths and Sports for eight years. I assisted in facilitating over 480 Ebonyians into the federal civil service, and all of them are growing in the system. It gives me joy to see those Ebonyians. We attracted developments like road constructions and bridges. I included my community projects in the Nigerian budget, which was unprecedented in the history of Ebonyi State. That is why, on the floor of the Senate, I thank those who introduced constituency projects because, without such initiatives, people like us might not get anything as community gains from the federal government. A cassava processing plant is also part of what my representation brought to my community to date. My first senatorial bill was on the University of Sports, the first in West Africa, which has today been signed into law. Again, to show you that President Tinubu is doing well in recognizing the importance of youths, he has approved the university, which would soon be commissioned, and a vice-chancellor will be appointed. The National Sports Commission has been an illegal entity, and if the President didn’t like it, it could be scrapped. But I had to push a bill for the National Sports Commission, which former President Buhari assented to. That was my bill. Presently, Mr. President has also started implementing the law. Very soon, he will appoint a Director General to run the day-to-day operations of the Commission. When you look at the Commission for Physically Challenged Bill too, I was a partner to it. The National Lottery Bill was also my bill, though former President Buhari refused to assent to it, but the National Assembly vetoed it. That is one of the two bills in Nigeria that has been vetoed. The NDDC Bill during Obasanjo’s era was refused, and this National Lottery Bill was also refused by Buhari, and both were vetoed by the Assembly. I have a lot to tell. The South-East Development Commission (SEDC) Bill was also initiated by me. Now that President Tinubu has consented, myself, Senator Stella Odua, and Anyanwu were the first to sponsor the bill. Buhari assented to the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) but refused the SEDC Bill then. Thank God the present Deputy Speaker has now represented and sponsored the bill, which was assented to by Mr. President. The South-East would forever be grateful for that.

If Mr. President offers you the position of Director General of the Sports Commission today, what would you do differently?

Well, since I know everything about the bill, I have been in sports management all my life. I was a Commissioner for Youths and Sports in Ebonyi State, Senior Assistant to the former Ebonyi State Governor on Youths and Sports, First-Vice President of the Nigerian Football Association (NFA), a retired referee, coach, and former member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). My credentials in sports speak for me to develop Nigerian youths and sports, to uplift Mr. President’s government in the areas of youths and the Renewed Hope Agendas because you need a system that can relate the agendas to the grassroots. One sure way is through sports. I mean wholesome sports. Be mindful that football is not the only sport we can push to the forefront; there are many other arms of sports too. The era of Nigerians going for international sports competitions without bringing home medals would be a thing of the past. We would ensure sports activities are developed without political infiltrations. I will use my experience to convince Mr. President of the need to develop sports to make his Renewed Hope Agendas proud.

I will develop athletes’ training policies to get them adequately prepared for any competition whatsoever. Releasing money within two to three weeks before a competition would not yield any results; such funds would be a waste. The Olympics is a four-year interval event, and we would no longer wait for athletes to roam the streets without adequate care.

I am aware Mr. President has released ₦12 billion to the Sports Commission, and such funds can be used to care for these talented athletes and not just be spent on a fire-brigade approach for winning Olympic medals with only weeks of preparation—it would never happen. Such funds need to be put to use between now and the next Olympics, while releasing a few billion naira around the tournament period would suffice to achieve commendable results.

My governor just established a football club and appointed me as the chairman of the club. As I am here, I think and talk sports. If given the opportunity, I will do well. In fact, in talking about sports in Nigeria, there is no way my name would not be mentioned. I have a lot to offer. Even most sports ministers usually consult us when they are appointed. You know, after your advice, when money comes, they won’t call you again or even follow the advice offered, and that’s why they always fail.

When people without a track record in sports are appointed, someone like the man from Plateau State who had no knowledge about sports and didn’t belong to the sports community, he was unable to do anything. When you don’t belong to the sports community, you find it difficult to do well and may become frustrated.

In sports, we can also partner with private organizations to raise funds to support sports, making accountable use of the resources garnered to support Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agendas. I believe in the power of sports as a uniting force for the country.

If given the privilege, I can also establish a National Sports Fund for sustainable funding because most sports funds come from the government alone, and it shouldn’t be so. I will also facilitate sports commission workforce welfare, including coaches and staff. These are the administrators, and adequate training is expected to be given to them for efficiency.

My vision is to engage Nigerian youths to promote national pride on the global stage. I am confident that with the right approach, Nigerian sports can be taken to international levels sustainably.

What do you admire most, and what are your suggestions to Mr. President for almost two years of his administration?

It was his effort to give national honors to athletes who could not win the CAF tournaments but became second with silver medals. No President has ever done that. The President and General Secretary of the NFA were also given national honors. In 1980, when Nigeria first won gold, they were not given national honors. Up to 10 times now, it’s happening for the first time.

Though people say things are very hard and go demonstrating, as an Igbo man, we don’t believe in that. We support President Tinubu’s government. By the time he finishes his second term in office, everything will be normalized.

Why do you think South-Eastern States supported Mr. President?

Our people don’t lie; we focus on what we believe in. Imo and Ebonyi States are APC states. We also believe that by 2027, APC will capture more. Mr. President has been doing well. See the Southeast Development Commission (SEDC) he assented to and approved. Mr. President’s wife visiting our state and we are there to warmly welcome her. We don’t hide our support for him.

How do you think Nigeria can perform well in international competition?

Simply by early preparation. Participants must be fully engaged and exposed to international friendlies to sharpen their talents. We should also learn how to play boardroom politics—that is, not allowing all these Francophone country referees to officiate in our matches against other Francophone nations due to biased officiating. Neutral officials, perhaps from Northern Africa, would be better suited for such games.

If I am appointed Director General, I will make sure Mr. President hosts an African tournament, which would also sell the nation to the world. After Obasanjo, it’s only former President Yar’Adua that hosted an African game. We have something upstairs to offer and make his 2027 election easier for him to win.

What do you think affected our sporting facilities in Nigeria?

Lack of maintenance. We lack a maintenance culture. All our facilities become old. I don’t see any reason why the National Stadium in Lagos should not be working. How much do we think the stadium would cost to maintain that we cannot afford? That stadium, in question, can also yield revenue to cover maintenance costs.

Nigeria has only one FIFA-approved stadium, which is in Akwa Ibom State because the state keeps maintaining it. The National Stadium in Abuja can be maintained too. If appointed, I can reach out to Julius Berger to maintain the stadium to secure a contract from us.

There is also another way we can manage it through private partnerships. Even UBA, as a bank, can be contracted to maintain the stadium for 20 years and earn revenue from it. Dangote, too, can handle it. Look at Murtala Muhammed Airport (MM2) in Lagos—it’s been under private management and functions profitably to this day.

Again, the National Lottery needs to go into sports. In fact, the National Lottery is not paying enough to the federal government as it ought to. We have to ensure they pay all that is due to them.

In addition, our national leagues should be opened for support from government and private organizations. They should not rely only on clubs to survive.

In all, there is no government that has done what Mr. President has done in Nigeria. Security issues have gone down. The proposed tax reforms, too, are a fantastic economic policy to take Nigeria to the next level.
In moving Nigerian sports forward in Nigeria highlight a task that is long overdue. For any renewal move to be achieved, drastic steps and deliberate actions need to be upheld. A former senator representing Ebonyi Central Senatorial District in the 8th and 9th Assemblies, Senator Obinna Joseph Ogba, who is also a sports administrator, hails from Amanvu-
Nkalagu Community in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Senator Obinna bares his mind on ways Nigerian sports can take its place in the community of sports nations.

Excerpt:

We heard of your move from PDP to APC. What informed your decision and belief in this government?

A political party is like a vehicle that can convey you to a destination, and when you get there, it becomes about Nigeria. I never liked APC as a party before, but Senator Oluremi Tinubu talked me through it while we were at the Senate together. She was then the chairman of my committee. It was then I began to yield to APC agendas.
The party I belonged to also disenfranchised me from the Ebonyi State governorship ticket. Myself and others, like my mentor in Ebonyi State, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, decided to support APC before the election. It’s therefore wrong for people to assume I just joined APC after the 2023 election. So far, so good. We have been doing well and making efforts to contribute our own quotas, hoping that one day our names can come out at the national level.

Can you mention some of your scorecards during your terms in the 8th and 9th Assemblies?

I don’t like blowing my own trumpet but prefer people to talk about my achievements. However, let me mention them. No senator from Ebonyi State has done what I did since the state’s creation in 1996. I built a stadium while I was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Youths and Sports for eight years. I assisted in facilitating over 480 Ebonyians into the federal civil service, and all of them are growing in the system. It gives me joy to see those Ebonyians. We attracted developments like road constructions and bridges. I included my community projects in the Nigerian budget, which was unprecedented in the history of Ebonyi State. That is why, on the floor of the Senate, I thank those who introduced constituency projects because, without such initiatives, people like us might not get anything as community gains from the federal government. A cassava processing plant is also part of what my representation brought to my community to date. My first senatorial bill was on the University of Sports, the first in West Africa, which has today been signed into law. Again, to show you that President Tinubu is doing well in recognizing the importance of youths, he has approved the university, which would soon be commissioned, and a vice-chancellor will be appointed. The National Sports Commission has been an illegal entity, and if the President didn’t like it, it could be scrapped. But I had to push a bill for the National Sports Commission, which former President Buhari assented to. That was my bill. Presently, Mr. President has also started implementing the law. Very soon, he will appoint a Director General to run the day-to-day operations of the Commission. When you look at the Commission for Physically Challenged Bill too, I was a partner to it. The National Lottery Bill was also my bill, though former President Buhari refused to assent to it, but the National Assembly vetoed it. That is one of the two bills in Nigeria that has been vetoed. The NDDC Bill during Obasanjo’s era was refused, and this National Lottery Bill was also refused by Buhari, and both were vetoed by the Assembly. I have a lot to tell. The South-East Development Commission (SEDC) Bill was also initiated by me. Now that President Tinubu has consented, myself, Senator Stella Odua, and Anyanwu were the first to sponsor the bill. Buhari assented to the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) but refused the SEDC Bill then. Thank God the present Deputy Speaker has now represented and sponsored the bill, which was assented to by Mr. President. The South-East would forever be grateful for that.

If Mr. President offers you the position of Director General of the Sports Commission today, what would you do differently?

Well, since I know everything about the bill, I have been in sports management all my life. I was a Commissioner for Youths and Sports in Ebonyi State, Senior Assistant to the former Ebonyi State Governor on Youths and Sports, First-Vice President of the Nigerian Football Association (NFA), a retired referee, coach, and former member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). My credentials in sports speak for me to develop Nigerian youths and sports, to uplift Mr. President’s government in the areas of youths and the Renewed Hope Agendas because you need a system that can relate the agendas to the grassroots. One sure way is through sports. I mean wholesome sports. Be mindful that football is not the only sport we can push to the forefront; there are many other arms of sports too. The era of Nigerians going for international sports competitions without bringing home medals would be a thing of the past. We would ensure sports activities are developed without political infiltrations. I will use my experience to convince Mr. President of the need to develop sports to make his Renewed Hope Agendas proud.

I will develop athletes’ training policies to get them adequately prepared for any competition whatsoever. Releasing money within two to three weeks before a competition would not yield any results; such funds would be a waste. The Olympics is a four-year interval event, and we would no longer wait for athletes to roam the streets without adequate care.

I am aware Mr. President has released ₦12 billion to the Sports Commission, and such funds can be used to care for these talented athletes and not just be spent on a fire-brigade approach for winning Olympic medals with only weeks of preparation—it would never happen. Such funds need to be put to use between now and the next Olympics, while releasing a few billion naira around the tournament period would suffice to achieve commendable results.

My governor just established a football club and appointed me as the chairman of the club. As I am here, I think and talk sports. If given the opportunity, I will do well. In fact, in talking about sports in Nigeria, there is no way my name would not be mentioned. I have a lot to offer. Even most sports ministers usually consult us when they are appointed. You know, after your advice, when money comes, they won’t call you again or even follow the advice offered, and that’s why they always fail.

When people without a track record in sports are appointed, someone like the man from Plateau State who had no knowledge about sports and didn’t belong to the sports community, he was unable to do anything. When you don’t belong to the sports community, you find it difficult to do well and may become frustrated.

In sports, we can also partner with private organizations to raise funds to support sports, making accountable use of the resources garnered to support Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agendas. I believe in the power of sports as a uniting force for the country.

If given the privilege, I can also establish a National Sports Fund for sustainable funding because most sports funds come from the government alone, and it shouldn’t be so. I will also facilitate sports commission workforce welfare, including coaches and staff. These are the administrators, and adequate training is expected to be given to them for efficiency.

My vision is to engage Nigerian youths to promote national pride on the global stage. I am confident that with the right approach, Nigerian sports can be taken to international levels sustainably.

What do you admire most, and what are your suggestions to Mr. President for almost two years of his administration?

It was his effort to give national honors to athletes who could not win the CAF tournaments but became second with silver medals. No President has ever done that. The President and General Secretary of the NFA were also given national honors. In 1980, when Nigeria first won gold, they were not given national honors. Up to 10 times now, it’s happening for the first time.

Though people say things are very hard and go demonstrating, as an Igbo man, we don’t believe in that. We support President Tinubu’s government. By the time he finishes his second term in office, everything will be normalized.

Why do you think South-Eastern States supported Mr. President?

Our people don’t lie; we focus on what we believe in. Imo and Ebonyi States are APC states. We also believe that by 2027, APC will capture more. Mr. President has been doing well. See the Southeast Development Commission (SEDC) he assented to and approved. Mr. President’s wife visiting our state and we are there to warmly welcome her. We don’t hide our support for him.

How do you think Nigeria can perform well in international competition?

Simply by early preparation. Participants must be fully engaged and exposed to international friendlies to sharpen their talents. We should also learn how to play boardroom politics—that is, not allowing all these Francophone country referees to officiate in our matches against other Francophone nations due to biased officiating. Neutral officials, perhaps from Northern Africa, would be better suited for such games.

If I am appointed Director General, I will make sure Mr. President hosts an African tournament, which would also sell the nation to the world. After Obasanjo, it’s only former President Yar’Adua that hosted an African game. We have something upstairs to offer and make his 2027 election easier for him to win.

What do you think affected our sporting facilities in Nigeria?

Lack of maintenance. We lack a maintenance culture. All our facilities become old. I don’t see any reason why the National Stadium in Lagos should not be working. How much do we think the stadium would cost to maintain that we cannot afford? That stadium, in question, can also yield revenue to cover maintenance costs.

Nigeria has only one FIFA-approved stadium, which is in Akwa Ibom State because the state keeps maintaining it. The National Stadium in Abuja can be maintained too. If appointed, I can reach out to Julius Berger to maintain the stadium to secure a contract from us.

There is also another way we can manage it through private partnerships. Even UBA, as a bank, can be contracted to maintain the stadium for 20 years and earn revenue from it. Dangote, too, can handle it. Look at Murtala Muhammed Airport (MM2) in Lagos—it’s been under private management and functions profitably to this day.

Again, the National Lottery needs to go into sports. In fact, the National Lottery is not paying enough to the federal government as it ought to. We have to ensure they pay all that is due to them.

In addition, our national leagues should be opened for support from government and private organizations. They should not rely only on clubs to survive.

In all, there is no government that has done what Mr. President has done in Nigeria. Security issues have gone down. The proposed tax reforms, too, are a fantastic economic policy to take Nigeria to the next level.

My vision is to engage Nigerian youths in sports to promote national pride on the global stage and grassroots developments without political infiltrations, says Senator Obinna Ogba