Dr. Odikpo: Nigeria Must Harness Sports to Combat Violence

Astute sports commentator, Dr. Emeka Odikpo says time has come for Nigeria to brace up and take the lead in the fight against violence through the instrument of sports.

The veterans Broadcaster was speaking in Abuja after bagging an award as “Peace Ambassador, Doctoral Fellow and Certified Sports Conflict Mediator” by Institute of Global Peace and Conflict Management, Dr. Odikpo said Nigeria is still a toddling enterprise in sports unlike what is obtainable in some African countries like South Africa, Morocco, Egypt who are leading in continental sports.

“In our league, win at home at all cost syndrome is dragging our football down. I intend to use the position I have now to penetrate into the league and have serious sections and symposium with club administrators and fans alike

As a certified sports conflict mediator, I intend to play a big role, especially in Nigerian football because football has gone beyond recreation to big business.”

Dr. Odikpo who retired as a Zonal Director at FRCN, said the award was a wake up call for him to contribute his quota at ensuring a peaceful society.

“The awards to me at the induction as Peace Ambassador and the
Doctoral Fellow and Certified Sports
Mediator by the Institute of Global Peace and Conflict Management is a wake up call. The world needs peace. War all over the world; Israel in Gaza, Ukraine – Russia, and the entire Southern Sudan and Somalia, the bandits and Boko Haram. When you look at the cost of war you will know that it’s cheaper to embrace peace.
If there is no sustainable peace, there will be no sustainable development because war is destruction. So after weeks of training in peace education, emotional intelligence, alternative dispute resolution by the institute ones eye has been opened to the fact that yes Peace and cause of Peace is the path to follow”

According to Dr. Odikpo “So I tend to utilize the training to also bring other people to the table of Peace and to know that there’s no alternative to it”

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Following the conclusion of the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games, Dr. Odikpo said all hands must be on deck at designing a road map that would see Nigeria take her rightful position in the commity of sporting nations.

“We have a seen the conclusion of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and I keep asking this question why is it that we don’t do well in the main Olympics and we win medals in the Paralympics. The Paralympian are they not Nigerians.

How did we train the Paralympians there is something wrong somewhere and it goes to Sports Policy and Administration. Look at what happened there at the olympics,somebody knew she was going to run in the 200m and 100m and got prepared for it only to get there and check her name just as a routine and saw that she was not included somebody decided for her what she can do and what she couldn’t do and the most painful thing is that till now is nothing has happened and so how are we going to prevent it from happening.

It means there are no consequences for action or inaction as far as the the administrators are concerned so we must move forward and the way to move forward is that there must be consequences for our actions”

The veteran sports commentator, known for coining the phrase ‘Miracle of Darman’ during his commentary on Radio Nigeria’s coverage of the 1989 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, urged the Nigeria Olympic Committee to break away from its dependence on the Sports Ministry. He advised them to assert their independence and take full responsibility for their decisions and actions.

Dr. Odikpo said the time to start prepare for Los Angeles 2028 Olympics is now!