A frontline stakeholder in Rugby, Obong Ntiese Williams has lauded the National Sports Commission for its encouragement to other sports and successes so far recorded.
Williams said the Commission under Shehu Dikko and Bukola Olopade, as Chairman and Director General respectively, have given hope to less visible sports since coming on board,while also introducing some great ideas aimed at grassroots sports development.
The former Technical Director of the Rugby Federation remains convinced that more sports would continue to enjoy support and encouragement under their leadership, while imploring the corporate world to support the commission by investing in sports.
Williams, popularly called Mr Rugby, however appealed to the Commission to once again consider readmitting the game into the National Sports Festival to encourage teeming youth taking to the sport.
He lamented the lat minute exclusion of Rugby from the forthcoming National Sports Festival in Enugu this year, but expressed optimism that with Dikko and Olopade, the game would soon return to the festival.
Mr Rugby shared his thoughts in a passionate letter of appeal to the NSC made available to VDCInsights.
Below is the letter.
The Chairman
National Sports Commission
National Stadium
Abuja
Through
Director General
National Sports Commission
Dear Sir,
A PASSIONATE APPEAL FOR RUGBY TO BE RETURNED TO THE NATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL AS ONE OF THE OLYMPICS PERMANENT SPORTS
PREAMBLE AND APPRECIATION
I will like to express my sincere gratitude for the successful hosting of the Second Gateway Games under your leadership and for introducing the Invited Junior Athletes initiative (IJA). We pray that this initiative will be sustained to help our athletes reach the podium at the Olympics and other international sporting events in the years to come, as it is a game-changer for the development of sports in Nigeria.
We are thrilled about the successes recorded during your tenure as the head of the National Sports Commission. May God continue to grant you wisdom and courage to achieve more exploits.
2. APPRECIATION FOR YOUR RUGBY SUPPORT
We will like to sincerely thank you for your encouragement of Rugby towards its return to the Festival notwithstanding the unfortunate last minute rejection at the Directors Meeting a day after you brought us back as an OPTIONAL Sports in OGUN. Also, we will like to thank you for encouraging our offshoot version called Flag Football as a Demonstration event at the present Gateway Games.
3. BRIEF HISTORY
A National Youth Corper by name Obong Ntiense Williams popularly called “Mr Rugby” who was a former Technical Director of the Rugby Federation was instrumental to the formation of the Rugby Federation during his Service year with the Federal Ministry of Youth & Sports in Abuja from 1998 / 9.
Through him, Rugby did an Exhibition in 1998 Imo Festival and 3 subsequent Demonstrations which culminated at our first Scoring at Gateway Games in 2006. It was after the Kada Games in 2009, that new rules were created to align our local Olympics to the world Olympics standards.
They selected all the Olympic scoring events, major popular Sports and added our own INVENTED TRADITIONAL SPORTS which by then had 5 events in ONE. Thus A TOTAL of 21 Sports were selected whilst the rest were asked to lobby the host State for the 5 Optional Sports spot, which is the prerogative of the host State to help them get medals from their preferred sports which they have competitive advantage.
By then in 2009, Rugby was not yet an Olympics Sports. RUGBY thereafter returned to the Olympics in Rio 2016 as a Scoring Event. Unfortunately we have been chasing after the optional Sports slots which has been very difficult especially as Rugby is a team sports.
The second criteria is the popularity of the Sports in the country which can be measured by the number of states that we operate in. Presently we are in 24 states of the Federation and still striving to get to more states especially in the North West & South West.
Now that Rugby is an Olympics Sports, it is expedient to add it as one of the team sports like Hockey, Volleyball, Basketball, Handball, and Football please.
4. IMPACT ON THE GAME
The current situation has led to states laying off Rugby players, making it challenging for the game’s development. A permanent inclusion in the National Sports Festival would provide a platform for states to invest in Rugby, thereby promoting its growth given the fact that Rugby is a Scoring Event at the All Africa Games, Commonwealth Games, Olympics Games with Two World Cups (First team sports with two World Cups every four years) and it features in many other world sports platforms.
It will interest you to note that Nigerian are well suited to play this beautiful game and achieve stardom as many prominent Nigerians are plying their trade in high profile professional Rugby outfits around the world. Presently a Nigerian is the Captain of the England national team, being the second. The first actually won the first Rugby 7’s Rugby World Cup in 1993 alongside 4 other Nigerians in the team.
5. MAIN REQUEST
It is therefore for these main reasons and much more that we are passionately appealing for you to once again use your good office to help us return to the next edition of the National Sports Festival in ENUGU on a permanent basis as an Olympic Sports like Volleyball, Basketball, Handball, Hockey, and Football respectively are presently listed.
As a matter of fact, it is only when a sports is scoring at the ENUGU National Sports Festival that any State will be interested to get involved in it, and that in turn will help us propagate it’s gospel adequately around the country.
Thank you in anticipation of your usual prompt positive response and God bless.