Why Team Nigera Project Failed - NOC Scribe

17.05.2008

An answer may have eventually emerged to explain why Team Nigeria Trust Fund collapsed, as the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) Secretary-General, Banji Oladapo, has put it down to lack of experience about viable commercial angles to sports management in the country.

Opening up in an exclusive chat with brilafm.net, Oladapo rued what he called the embarrassing failure of the initiative, and declared that it turned out to be a very unfortunate experiment that could not work.

“The mistake was that everyone was leaving funding of sports to government, but it just cannot work that way. There is the need for more avenues of income for the NOC.

“However, the way things are, the NOC does not receive subventions except from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“We only supplement by reaching to get donations from well-meaning individuals. That’s why we started the trust fund, as another source of financing but, unfortunately, it didn’t work out. “We are now going out for reawareness and trying to get some commitments around. Fortunately, we have received some favourable comments, and I believe it’s a sign of good things to come,” he said.