Nigeria’s Sports Performance Reward Fund, (SPRF) worth ten billion naira has been launched in Abuja. It is a private sector Led intiative.
The purpose of the Fund is to directly reward athletes who win at the Olympics, Commenwealth Games, All Africa Games and other major championships.
Among the several aims and objectives of the Fund, is to make Sports an oasis of Excellence in Nigeria, while encouraging the Youths to “think, eat drink, and dream sports” at all times.
President of the Fund, Engineer Musa Kida, told Voice of Nigeria why the initiative is a priority issue now, stressing that it was long overdue.
“The reason men and women of proven integrity who have been outstandingly successful in their various fields of endeavour have come together to birth and drive the Sports Performance Reward Fund was to establish a guaranteed and sure reward for generations of Nigeria’s sporting youth, make sports an oasis of excellence in Nigeria by complementing government efforts, and also to drive, motivate Nigerian Youth with sporting talent to put in the hard work and sacrifice required to be the best in the world”.
Engineer Kida who is also a non Executive Director at the TotalEnergies, gave insight into why the facilitators of the Fud are dwelling on reward for podium finish instead of sports facilities that could help the athletes train and norture their skills.
“Our focus from the top is to reinvigorate motivation in these young athletes to strive to do more and win the top prize. We are trying to build on what already exists, & as such, we already have the support of the sports minister who believes that this initiative is aligns with the ministry’s agenda of discovering, nuturing, & motivating our athletes to succeed in their various sports.”
Nigeria’s first Olympics Gold Medalist, and a Board member of the Fund, Chioma Ajunwa, is hopeful that the SPRF initiative would help athletes to focus strictly on their training, and psychological preparations for championships, which are the things that matter most.
She believes that issues of funding for athletes should be the job of sports administrators & sponsors while the athletes work hard to win competitions, and make their Nation proud.
“I would have won the 1997 world championships, following my success at the Olympics the previous year but while other nationales who are my competitors were training using the best facilities, i was in Nigeria begging for money to prepare myself and also get better coaches to help me. About two weeks to the event, i had no option than to start a fire brigade approach to my preparation before going for the championships where i ended up injured.”
One of the athletes who was present at the launch of the initiative, twelve year old Theresa Eneh who won medals at the 7th National Youth Games held last month, hailed the rationale for the Fund, stressing that children and their parents can now concentrate on other priority issues.
“I am really happy for this initiative because our parents will no longer be running up and down looking for school fees, fuel money, and also thinking of how to help us fund our training. At least, we can focus on how to perform our best, knowing that there is hope for money to reward our efforts,” she said.
The SPRF is designed to reward athletes who make it to the Olympics podium with 10milion naira for Gold Medalist, 7.5million naira for Silver Medalists, and 5million naira for Bronze Medallists. In the Commenwealth Games, athletes are expected to receive a reward of 5million naira for Gold Medals while Silver Medals attract 3million naira, and 2milion naira is reserved for the Bronze Medallists.
The All Africa Games is not left out as the Fund is proposing to reward athletes with 3million naira for Gold Medals, 2million naira for Silver Medals, and 1million naira for Bronze Medals. And the same reward is applicable to winners in other major world championships.
COV/EDWIN.
