Shade Olalekan warns against engagement of foreign athletic coaches, says it does not promote sports development
By Uzor Odigbo
A Nigerian coach based in the United Arab Emirate Shade Olalekan has described the demand to hire foreign athletics coaches as anti-sports development.
Shade in brief chat at the weekend said no coach is bigger or more knowledgeable than others except in age and exposure to modern equipment, courses and sponsorship.
“They brought in foreign coaches before, they used raw Nigerian talents, never developed any athlete. What are the foreign coaches coming to do that our local coaches can’t do? Why not invest in our local coaches and give them a target for them to be serious and see if they will not deliver”.
Shade insisted that coaching is an art that demands talent and passion, it doesn’t matter how many degrees you have acquired.
“I have been abroad coaching different categories of athletes, all that is required is the experience and modern equipment rooted in technical ability to impact on athletes.
“How many competitions, coaching courses do the authorities put in place last season? And how many coaches benefited from the federation last year ? This monkey dey work and baboon dey chop system will not take us anywhere”. he said.
Olalekan urges the sports hierarchy in Nigeria to develop sports through empowerment at all levels and not on ethnic and friendship frameworks.
“Nigerian sports have been reduced to friendship, if you are not a friend to the authorities, you get nothing and there’s no way sports can grow on such standards.“
