By Amaechi Agbo
The Nigeria Diaspora Talents Development Committee has been set up by the National Sports Commission to help address talent shortage by strengthening the nation’s conveyor belt of talents deploying the array of sporting talents of Nigerian descent across the globe. The Committee has hit the ground running with an inaugural meeting at the College Lane campus, University of Hertfordshire Hatfield.
The meeting was chaired by Committee Chairman Dr. Tunde Adelakun while National Sports Commission Director-General Hon. Bukola Olopade and other Committee members who aren’t based in the UK joined on-line.
In his opening remarks, Hon. Olopade charged the Committee on the need to secure the future of Nigerian sports by addressing the talent shortage.
“At the Commission, we have moved to seriously address the dearth of talents in our sports from the foundations. We know for a fact that there are many of our sons and daughters who are doing so well across the globe. We want to catch them at a much younger age this time. We want to bridge that gap in the past when these athletes rarely identified with their fatherland until much later in their careers. We want to catch them young and provide some pathway for their career development”, he said.
He assured the Committee of the Commission’s unflinching support in its programmes.
Top on the agenda for the meeting was the participation of the Diaspora Team at the forthcoming National Intermediate Games while avenues to raise a team for the Games were mooted. This includes signing up to officially be at the London Youth Games as well as the English Schools Sports Competitions with a view to picking up young talents and developing their interest in the Nigerian project from a young age.
There were also discussions about the forthcoming Multi Sport Exhibition Event holding in London on July 17 where the team to the Intermediate Games will be finalised and programes for the preparations shared.
The Committee also adopted the concept of the creation of a Diaspora Athletes Monitoring Mentoring and Support Unit (DAMMS), within the body of the Committee, to look after the interests of all athletes of Nigerian origin in the diaspora.
Dr. Adelakun shed more light on this. His words, “It is not enough to scout the athletes for competitions, there is a need to continually keep tabs on their progress and support them even in trying times like injuries and setbacks while also celebrating with them when they achieve remarkable milestones. You can’t just barge into an athlete much later in his career and expect to convince him to wear the national colours. We have to be involved in their development. Cry with them when they cry and likewise celebrate with them when they do.”
The DAMMS Unit will be headed by the Committee Chairman with members who have been in sports and have a clear understanding of what that kind of support entails.
Key positions of the Committee are as follows; Dr Tunde Adelakun (Chairman), Abigail Katung (1st Vice-chairman), David Omigie (2nd Vice-chairman), Olympian Sarah Ogoke (3rd Vice-chairman), Dr. Yinka Idowu (Director Strategic Planning and Development) and Olalekan Alabi (Secretary).
The Talent Identification Champions are Olympian Olusoji Fasuba (track and field), Olympian Olufunke Oshonaike (table tennis), Seyi Olofinjana (football), Jordan Joel (Taekwondo and other individual sports), Adewale Ajayi and Colin Udoh (Talent Spotting Americas), Olympian Marilyn Okoro (Mentor and Support)
Fasuba will also function as the Data Protection and Safeguarding Officer while Clement Nwankpa Jr will serve as the media officer with Ayodele Ibidapo as the Social Media driver.
