After some years of playing minnows on the big stage, Nigerian judo is now raring to go and ready to take the international circuit by storm.
To this end, a blueprint is being put together to ensure that the martial art takes its pre-eminent position not just among Nigeria’s elite sports but also launch the country into global limelight.
Judokas in action
Disclosing the federation’s lofty plan was President of the Nigeria Judo Federation (NJF), Dr. Musa Oshodi, during an interactive session with sports journalists in Lagos.
Oshodi, who was unanimously elected after the impeachment of Mr. Timothy Nsirim for anti-federation activities, said it was sad that Nigerian judo had recently slipped off global reckoning and from among the elite sports in the country.
He said: “Our judo has a very rich history. Without trying to be boastful, Nigeria had always been a powerhouse on the continent and even a major player on the world stage by qualifying for the Olympic Games.
“You should also remember that the country was among the top 10 judo nations of the world in the late 80s by virtue of Majemite Omagbaluwaje’s performance at the World Championships in Belgrade in 1989.
“For a country that was among the top 10 in the world in 1989, it is sad that today we cannot say we are among the top 50 in the world.”
For the fortunes of the sport, Oshodi blamed the leadership of the federation.
The medical doctor, who is the first judoka to head the judo federation since its inception in1972, said the country was blessed with a lot of talents that could rule the continent and hold their own against the very best in the world, adding that what has been missing lately was leadership.
He promised that his board would provide the leadership to put the country back among the best judo nations in the world.
“We have developed a road map which would revolutionalise our judo. Apart from exposing our judokas to regular competitions locally and internationally, we will also invest massively in the education of the technical personnel, the coaches, and the referees.
“Then we will make our presence felt in the international judo politics by getting Nigerians into key organs of the African Judo Union (AJU) and International Judo Federation (IJF).
To achieve these goals, Oshodi said: “the federation will need the support of all stakeholders, international federations, corporate Nigeria and the media.”
