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Nigeria: Lack of Maintenance Culture Affecting Nigeria’s Sports Development, Says Pinnick

todayOctober 30, 2024 2

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Pinnick has highlighted that Nigeria’s sports development is hindered by a poor culture of infrastructure maintenance, which limits athletes’ opportunities.

Amaju Pinnick, former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and FIFA Council member, has identified inadequate maintenance as a major hurdle to sports development in Nigeria.

On Tuesday at the University of Ibadan’s Faculty of Education, Pinnick emphasised the urgent need for improved infrastructure upkeep to support the nation’s athletic talent.

His lecture, titled “The Challenges of Sports Infrastructure and Maintenance in Nigeria: Prospect for the Podium Performance,” underscored the critical role of infrastructure in driving Nigeria’s sports success.

Pinnick lamented Nigeria’s abundance of skilled athletes, who lack adequate facilities to refine and showcase their talents. He attributed the issue to a broader lack of maintenance culture, which begins from homes to public facilities, contrasting Nigeria’s approach with countries like Morocco, Egypt, Brazil, Germany, and England, which invest heavily in sports infrastructure.

“Nigeria cannot host FIFA competitions because most of our stadiums don’t meet the standards required to be called stadiums,” he stated. For example, he noted that even the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, seen as Nigeria’s premier sports facility, lacks essential features like hospitality suites, which generate significant revenue for FIFA.

“It is because it does not even have hospitality suites from where FIFA generates at least 30 per cent of its revenue from matches,” the CAF Executive Committee member revealed.