Nigeria, a nation renowned for its sporting passion and talent, holds a vast reservoir of untapped potential and to delve into this subject, Voice of Nigeria met with FIFA Licensed Agent and Boxing Promoter Akeola Lukumanu Ayinde, in Abuja, the Capital city.
Ayinde is a seasoned football agent and author of the book ’Beyond The Game: Unveiling the Potential of Sports In Nigeria’, which explores the pathways to unlocking Nigeria’s sporting prowess.
When asked about the driving force behind the book, Ayinde, revealed the key motivation. He said his passion stems from years of experience navigating the African and Nigerian sports landscape and witnessing both its triumphs and its systemic challenges.
“What inspired me is when I came to Nigeria last year, I studied about sports in the country and understood that we needed more professionals and investors,” Ayinde said.” We agents, we work with different people not only in football, but all sports in Nigeria so we need investors.”
“We need investors, we need good infrastructure while there isn’t proper maintenance of the ones we have. The Government are trying their best but the continuation of the work is a problem.”
Ayinde, who is the founder and Managing Director of Elite Sports and Tourism Development Limited (ESEM GROUP), outlined steps to identify, nurture and support young sporting talent, particularly in underdeveloped communities.
He also identified several key obstacles hindering the development of grassroots sports in Nigeria, citing inadequate infrastructure, lack of funding, corruption and poor governance.
The biggest problem firstly is about the athletes, second their coaches, third is about the management of their clubs,” the agent added. “Because without a club you cannot get a player. A coach could have five coaches that take you from the grassroots to different levels.
“And once the talent is detected and we try to take the player to the next level, all those coaches come back with different angles and we agents have problems with them.”
But now FIFA’s regulations state that anybody who doesn’t have a licence cannot have a contract with any player. Also, any player that doesn’t have an agent cannot play a professional game,” Ayinde said.
The interview also addressed the role of football agents in shaping Nigerian football. Ayinde, a practitioner in the field, shed light on the ethical considerations within the profession and discussed how agents can contribute positively to player development and the growth of the sport.
Given the immense popularity of football in Nigeria, the interview naturally explored the current state of the sport and how agents work. Ayinde’s Administrative Secretary, Musa Sunusi Ahmed, provided a candid assessment, acknowledging both the successes and shortcomings of Nigerian football on the domestic front.
“A scout could present data on a player to an agent after a season,” Ahmed said. “If the agent then sees potential in exporting that player, challenges usually arise in terms of exporting the player because of visa issues and documentation. These are the challenges that hinder the process.”
“The Nigerian Government and the Ministry Foreign of Affairs have to work on the rate of visa issuance for young grassroots athletes to explore opportunities abroad.”
“We also need a lot more media platforms and sports channels to showcase our competitions at different levels. It is one of the major aspects that will help Nigerian sports,” Ahmed added.
Beyond its sporting value, Ahmed emphasised football’s potential to drive economic growth and create opportunities for young people, while offering valuable advice to young Nigerians aspiring to pursue careers in sports.
He noted key takeaways such as pursuing education, developing strong ethics and building a network would provide a roadmap for unlocking one’s potential.
“There are a lot of players that drive their confidence through football and I understand that the biggest tool for any success in life is confidence, to present yourself well,” Ahmed added. “To locate and track talent, we need to identify the individual first.”
“Before we can use technology to upload his videos so he could be discovered. We need to work on our structure and community and that is where it lies. Here we have the competitions like the Headmaster’s Cup Governors Cup, Emir’s Cup and a lot of other traditional sports.”
“You either identify talent on a football field or someone introduces them, who could not necessarily be a scout or coach. There are some people who upload videos showcasing technical skills online, others want to promote themselves but cannot do it alone.”
“The real football is all about team work. You need to document a video of your team and doing that may involve one or two hands. And if you do not have committed friends to support you, it may be very difficult. So a good structure and community are important for promotion,” he added.
The interview concluded by discussing the potential economic benefits of a thriving sports industry and the importance of ensuring equitable distribution of these benefits.
Recognising the transformative power of technology can also be harnessed to discover and develop sporting talent. Data analytics, online platforms, virtual training tools are some ways to enhance talent identification and training processes.
Creating an enabling environment for sports development requires sound policies and adequate infrastructure. There is also critical need for improved sports infrastructure and exploration of innovative funding models to finance its development.
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