By  Emmanuel Ojeme
The free fall of the Super Eagles in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, has definitely jolted all strata of society and institutions to the reality of the dwindling fortunes of Nigeria in international sports.

Since the end of the World Cup, well meaning Nigerian sports epistemologists and concerned agencies have not rested in their renewed efforts to reactivate, reinvigorate and reinvent the rhythm and momentum of sports in Nigeria.

This quest for a new Nigerian sports image, has caught up with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies [NIPSS], a foremost leadership education, training and research institution that is in the vanguard of efforts continuously made to remould the intellectual template of Nigerian leaders.

It is thus gratifying that NIPSS is now set to embrace sports studies, incorporate it into its modular curriculum and consequently become part of the engineering process of turning Nigerian sports around in a way that befits the status of Nigeria, the undisputed giant of Africa.

NIPSS entry into the Nigerian sports development arena was marked by a brain storming session on the 17th of July, 2010. This brainstorming session was illuminative and insightful covering issues on where we are in Nigerian sports today, the debilitating constraints and what the institution can do intramurally and extramurally to complement the development efforts that are required to grow sports in Nigeria.

There is no doubt, at all, that as a policy and strategic studies establishment, NIPSS stands to contribute positively towards sports development in Nigeria. Nigerians who attend its leadership education programmes are the ones who make decisions in different aspects of our national life.

They initiate and implement public policies. Incorporating sports studies as modules in NIPSS curriculum could provide a framework for better understanding of its needs for growth and development. This is crucial because, it is incontestable that the often underestimation of the knowledge base of sports at the level of leadership is one of its bane.

Most persons merely think of sports from the perspective of what they see on the field of play. What is seen on the field of play is more meaningful, better understood when it is connected to the humanities, social science and the science of sport. It is very funny indeed, when someone says let’s go to the grass-root, hunt for talent and all that. It is not as simple as that. The definition of who is a sports talent is not just one line statement. The point here is that, effective sports development effort must be preceded by socialization into the knowledge base of sports by those who are interested in engaging in such efforts.

The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies can do a lot by way of epistemological socialization of its course participants in the area of sports.

If decision and policy makers and implementers know a bit about the knowledge structure of sports, then more effective innovations towards sports development would be possible so that sports would be taking off the ‘general goods’ label where everyone claims expertise. Secondly, the enlightenment of leaders of public institutions about the nature of sports also means that the government would be given proper advice concerning its affairs.

Intramurally also, NIPSS can institutionalize sports programmes for the recreational and the therapeutic benefits of its own students and community. In this regard it would need a mini-sports centre equipped with the relevant sports infrastructure and supplies.

NIPSS can collaborate in comparative sports policy research with interested scholars and institutions. It can equally form a third advisory leg to government on ways to improve Nigerian sports. Conducting regular dialogue with stakeholders could also be beneficial to sports development.

It is gratifying to note that a high profile institution of the caliber of NIPSS now sees sports development as critical to its mandate. This is good news for Nigerian sports. We are also looking forward to the benefits of this fresh perspective as NIPSS enters the sports arena. Welcome, NIPSS, to sports.