Constraints of Sport Development in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria

Abstract

In higher institutions particularly, the universities in many parts of the world, many faculty members looked down on sports as non-academic and have therefore developed very negative attitude toward it. Most Nigerian tertiary institutions do not have modern facilities, equipment and personnel for sports. Only institutions that have won the hosting right of NUGA usually seize the opportunity to improve on the quality and quantity of sports facilities, equipment and personnel in their domains. Inadequate or low level of coaching is a hindrance to the production of national athletes from tertiary institutions. Nigerian Universities and other tertiary institutions have gone further by creating departments to especially handle sports within the general administrative set up. These offices in most cases are headed by a director or sports coach with several subordinates serving under him. The offices include coaches who are specialists in various sports. Today, the establishment of Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA), Nigerian Colleges of Education Games Association (NICEGA) and Nigerian Polytechnics Games Association (NIPOGA), offered tremendous opportunity to students of tertiary institutions to participate in a wide variety of sports which the students welcomed with great enthusiasm, and have participated in all the sports available in the various institutions for development of sports in Nigeria. Recommendations as to improve the Nigeria sports development in tertiary institutions were offered which includes: To conduct regular training courses for sports Personnel in Nigerian institutions, Funding of Institutions generally should not be left in the hands of government alone, To ensure that only the best and qualified personnel are employed for the organization and administration of institutional sports.