'BENDELISM' - Nigerian Sports' Way Forward?

[Damunk]

Those of you old enough will remember there was once upon a time that BENDEL STATE, previously known as MID-WESTERN STATE completely dominated Nigerian sports. When I say completely, I mean it. It was across the board - whether we were talking about scholboy level, intermediate or senior level, male or female, athletics, football, boxing....just name it, they won it.

I could never quite figure out how they did it. Lagos, Oyo and Anambra states always played second fiddle to these sports giants. After all, the population of the state was dwarfed by many others. I came up with numerous theories in my young mind, but nothing really made sense. I even toyed with the idea it was 'Bendel okpo' (juju), but even then juju never quite cut it with me as anything credible .

When I got older, it became obvious to me that Bendel state took its sports very seriously thanks to its Governor, Ogbemudia. It wasnt rocket science after all. These were Nigerians running its sports administration and they just couldnt put a foot wrong.

The million dollar question today is: How did they get it so right that cannot be replicated on a national level today?

Anybody that benefitted from that golden era of 'Up Bendeh!!' should please enlighten us with what exactly these guys were doing to achieve such heights. They suppled a disproportionate number of national sportsmen. What was the template? Why can't we adopt this 'Bendelism', whatever it entails, on a national scale?

[cchinukw]

Sports College Afuze. Yes that was where sportsmen, coaches, psychologists etc were trained back in the day. Also Bendel state were into a lot of grassroots initiatives integrated with education. It was not one or the other. It was also a priority for the State as well.

[Waffiman]

Those of you old enough will remember there was once upon a time that BENDEL STATE, previously known as MID-WESTERN STATE completely dominated Nigerian sports. When I say completely, I mean it. It was across the board - whether we were talking about scholboy level, intermediate or senior level, male or female, athletics, football, boxing....just name it, they won it.

I could never quite figure out how they did it. Lagos, Oyo and Anambra states always played second fiddle to these sports giants. After all, the population of the state was dwarfed by many others. I came up with numerous theories in my young mind, but nothing really made sense. I even toyed with the idea it was 'Bendel okpo' (juju), but even then juju never quite cut it with me as anything credible .

When I got older, it became obvious to me that Bendel state took its sports very seriously thanks to its Governor, Ogbemudia. It wasnt rocket science after all. These were Nigerians running its sports administration and they just couldnt put a foot wrong.

The million dollar question today is: How did they get it so right that cannot be replicated on a national level today?

Anybody that benefitted from that golden era of 'Up Bendeh!!' should please enlighten us with what exactly these guys were doing to achieve such heights. They suppled a disproportionate number of national sportsmen. What was the template? Why can't we adopt this 'Bendelism', whatever it entails, on a national scale?

My bro, I was just alluding to some of the initiatives of Bendel State, especially under Governor Ogbemudia. I was just talking about local boys clubs like Samco stars. That state just had a structure that developed sports as a whole from the grassroots. The structure was so good, that talent blossomed and the cream got to the top. Governor Ogbemudia even built schools like New Era and Afuze for sporting excellence. There were scholarships for the best of the best and the competition amongst the towns and local governments was fierce. This type of competition was encouraged and it bred mentally and physically though sports men and women.

The thing is, the structure Ogbemudia built is still there, it is just a question of investment and development.

[nanijoe]

This was an era when sports development was not in the hands of money hungry agents

[cchinukw]

Those of you old enough will remember there was once upon a time that BENDEL STATE, previously known as MID-WESTERN STATE completely dominated Nigerian sports. When I say completely, I mean it. It was across the board - whether we were talking about scholboy level, intermediate or senior level, male or female, athletics, football, boxing....just name it, they won it.

I could never quite figure out how they did it. Lagos, Oyo and Anambra states always played second fiddle to these sports giants. After all, the population of the state was dwarfed by many others. I came up with numerous theories in my young mind, but nothing really made sense. I even toyed with the idea it was 'Bendel okpo' (juju), but even then juju never quite cut it with me as anything credible .

When I got older, it became obvious to me that Bendel state took its sports very seriously thanks to its Governor, Ogbemudia. It wasnt rocket science after all. These were Nigerians running its sports administration and they just couldnt put a foot wrong.

The million dollar question today is: How did they get it so right that cannot be replicated on a national level today?

Anybody that benefitted from that golden era of 'Up Bendeh!!' should please enlighten us with what exactly these guys were doing to achieve such heights. They suppled a disproportionate number of national sportsmen. What was the template? Why can't we adopt this 'Bendelism', whatever it entails, on a national scale?

My bro, I was just alluding to some of the initiatives of Bendel State, especially under Governor Ogbemudia. I was just talking about local boys clubs like Samco stars. That state just had a structure that developed sports as a whole from the grassroots. The structure was so good, that talent blossomed and the cream got to the top. Governor Ogbemudia even built schools like New Era and Afuze for sporting excellence. There were scholarships for the best of the best and the competition amongst the towns and local governments was fierce. This type of competition was encouraged and it bred mentally and physically though sports men and women.

The thing is, the structure Ogbemudia built is still there, it is just a question of investment and development.

Yeah Samco too. Some of the boys that played in our first under 17 world cup win were from Samco.

[RudeBoy]

It's simple Damunk. The Olympics are in a couple of years and has Nigeria started preparing for it? No. A few months before they will begin selction etc and by then it is too late. You can see how they are doing it in the UK can't you.

As you know, I was in Abuja in March and went to the African Junior Tennis Championships. I swear (and I am not kidding) they were still painting the courts on the eve of the event. On the first day of competition players were coming off court with the soles of the trainers turned blue (the colour of the freshly painted courts) and the yellow balls turned blue after just a few games! I've been to quite a few Junior tennis tournament around the world and Nigeria is the only country I have been to where there were more officials than players representing Nigeria at the even!

[nemi2002]

It's simple Damunk. The Olympics are in a couple of years and has Nigeria started preparing for it? No. A few months before they will begin selction etc and by then it is too late. You can see how they are doing it in the UK can't you.

As you know, I was in Abuja in March and went to the African Junior Tennis Championships. I swear (and I am not kidding) they were still painting the courts on the eve of the event. On the first day of competition players were coming off court with the soles of the trainers turned blue (the colour of the freshly painted courts) and the yellow balls turned blue after just a few games! I've been to quite a few Junior tennis tournament around the world and Nigeria is the only country I have been to where there were more officials than players representing Nigeria at the even!

This happens at every competition.

[KingLoku]

Na the era wan ogunjobi wan buy 5 houses for London,2 for America 3 for Canada , Lulu wan fill up his bank account with Football money.

[seloweizer]

Twas with so much pride back in the day.
I don't even want to name the football stars.
Just remember....Davidson Andeh!!!

[grandverve]

I think we are in deep,deep trouble. I am not just worried about the decadence in our football, but also in our country and psyche in general.

What i find most troubling is that nobody is doing anything about it. No one is screaming at the top of their lungs on tv, radio, print media, on the streets that things can't continue like this - whenever someone starts to do so, the rest dont join in to back them up. I am of course also very guilty for this same crime.

When will we stop refusing to give bribes or reap where we haven't sown?

Back to football, our problem is bone deep. It isn't enough to log in to CE and offer ideas and yabs at/to each other. We also need to identify the forumers here that ave influence in Sport/Football administration circles in Naija otherwise, our best ideas will continue to rot in cyberspace!

[okjazz]

Many Kenyan football fans of that era will never forget Ibrahim Alikali. They still talk about him.

[Damunk]

I think we are in deep,deep trouble. I am not just worried about the decadence in our football, but also in our country and psyche in general.

What i find most troubling is that nobody is doing anything about it. No one is screaming at the top of their lungs on tv, radio, print media, on the streets that things can't continue like this - whenever someone starts to do so, the rest dont join in to back them up. I am of course also very guilty for this same crime.

When will we stop refusing to give bribes or reap where we haven't sown?

Back to football, our problem is bone deep. It isn't enough to log in to CE and offer ideas and yabs at/to each other. We also need to identify the forumers here that ave influence in Sport/Football administration circles in Naija otherwise, our best ideas will continue to rot in cyberspace!

I feel you on this! What can we do? Seriously, how can we make the people's voice heard?

[grandverve]

I think we are in deep,deep trouble. I am not just worried about the decadence in our football, but also in our country and psyche in general.

What i find most troubling is that nobody is doing anything about it. No one is screaming at the top of their lungs on tv, radio, print media, on the streets that things can't continue like this - whenever someone starts to do so, the rest dont join in to back them up. I am of course also very guilty for this same crime.

When will we stop refusing to give bribes or reap where we haven't sown?

Back to football, our problem is bone deep. It isn't enough to log in to CE and offer ideas and yabs at/to each other. We also need to identify the forumers here that ave influence in Sport/Football administration circles in Naija otherwise, our best ideas will continue to rot in cyberspace!

I feel you on this! What can we do? Seriously, how can we make the people's voice heard?

I believe part of the problem is the weakness of radio media in nigeria. The people that need to be geared up don't have access to TV. It is a lot easier to run a shadow radio station where the truth is always told and not some government propaganda than it is to run a tv station that always tells the truth no matter what. It is easier for politicians to doctor the truth on tv. We need to find a way of telling the unadulterated truth and getting it across to all. A spade must be called a spade, at all times.

I am constantly wound up by people that can't see that it is as equally easy to make billions from a well run economy(with less corruption) as it is from an economy ladened with corruption. The good thing is making billions from a corruption free economy gives the billionaire peace of mind as there will be less tendency of being attacked by thieves or armed robbers. What the fooish politicians and corrupt businessmen in Nigeria dont realise is that upon all of their stealing they are not still as wealthy as the millionaires in the UK, US or other developed countries. I am not being naive as to suggest that there isn;t any corruption in these other places, but at least the corruption is tilted in the favour of the State. Lets think about it, if two guys without drivers license spot a policeman in Lagos or London, they'll both be apprehensive but for different reasons. The guy in london knows he will be fined and may get points on his licence, but the lagos guy will be apprehensive on whether he has enough money to bribe the policeman. Both guys are corrupt for driving without license, but at least the London corruption is tilted in the favour of the State. Any fines dished out will get to the State coffers.

It is very easy for us all to criticise Amodu, Lars, Egu, Lulu etc, but most of us are without character and lack proper judgement. I find it difficult to believe that there is no one here without influence in Sorts administration in Naija, yet, identifying them is like asking someone to go find the location of Osa*a!

If anything is going to change about our football or nation, it starts with self, the football fan, the voter.....refuse mediocrity, be objective...tell the truth, live for the truth, care for the greater good and maybe you may just end up being a good father.

The Bible defines a good father as a man that leaves inheritance for his children and his childrens children....what are you leaving for your children?

[Waffiman]

Twas with so much pride back in the day.
I don't even want to name the football stars.
Just remember....Davidson Andeh!!!

He was the World Amateur Light Weight Champion. I remember the 1978 or 1979 Independence Day celebration at Ogbe stadium. He was honoured on that day.

[Damunk]

Twas with so much pride back in the day.
I don't even want to name the football stars.
Just remember....Davidson Andeh!!!

He was the World Amateur Light Weight Champion. I remember the 1978 or 1979 Independence Day celebration at Ogbe stadium. He was honoured on that day.

So what was it about Ogbemudia that made all this happen?
After all, it was not as if he was a saint himself.
But the state's sporting achievements are undeniable.
I actually believed there was something in Bendelites' DNA, for real!

[grandverve]

Twas with so much pride back in the day.
I don't even want to name the football stars.
Just remember....Davidson Andeh!!!

He was the World Amateur Light Weight Champion. I remember the 1978 or 1979 Independence Day celebration at Ogbe stadium. He was honoured on that day.

So what was it about Ogbemudia that made all this happen?
After all, it was not as if he was a saint himself.
But the state's sporting achievements are undeniable.
I actually believed there was something in Bendelites' DNA, for real!

From what yu have written as well as others, it appears to me that Ogbenmudia put proper structures in place that allowed talent to be scouted. He must also have created an enviroment that allowed these talent to be nurtured and developed into stars. Lastly, there must have been a common goal bought into by all stakeholders, scouts, athletes, coaches etc....the rest will follow...fans, money, adulation....

[monkeypost]

Forget about all those grassroot planning for a bit, The real reason is healthy competition is built into the psyche of the average Bendelite have you ever heard of WARRI NO DEY CARRY LAST, or NO SINGLE MUGU DEY MY VILLAGE as you grow up you are taught not to be last, you are taught to be the head not the tail, inshort you are taught how special you are, its part of the culture of the then bendel state we had very confident athletes, footballers and sports men, get 5 good bendel footballers into the super eagles and you are unto winning ways again forget about quota system.

[Yiba]

FWIW, 'Bendelism' is not the panacea to our problems, rather the eradication of 'rankadedeism' will spur real growth in our football.

I remember that sometime in 2001, CE members wrote a draft about the way forward for Nigeria football. Fast forward to 2010, many CE members who signed the draft are involved in shaping the "future" of our football in various capacities. What have we learned ?

CE is a microcosm of NFF. The IC/FC debate on this site is not based on facts, rather we resolve to wikiality, hoping that the turn of events will prove us right.

How many times have we resolved to go back to the "drawing board" in other to resolve our dwindling fortunes in football ? As long as our plans are not based on hard work, discipline and vision, I am afraid, we shall continue to swim in under achievement.

It is over the top to conclude that Bendelites had DNA for sport excellence. Bendel state was succesful in national sports festivals because of preparation and commitment of officials and athletes to make a difference. I remember that Oyo state was also good in sports.

Football is no longer a game for entertainment. It has become a business. Because it is a business, the game has attracted speculators and gold diggers who are looking for opportunities to strike gold. Like the stock market, everybody is rushing for the green back.In the process, the sport has lost its soul.

The officials and athletes are no longer swayed by sense of altruism or nationalism when it comes to representing Nigeria. They are there to represent their interests. Therefore, if you do not Rankadede or cozy up with officials, you do not get an invite or nomination to play for Nigeria. Also, there is so much money at stake. Greed has become the common denominator that unites the officials and players together.

Our journalists who are supposed to be the gatekeepers of information have resolved to be indolent because many do not want to rock the boat. Because the consequences could be brutal.

The stories from our Journalists could easily be classified as PR work for our officials and footballers.

John Pilger, a journalist par excellence posits, "it is not enough for journalists to see themselves as mere messengers without understanding the hidden agendas of the message and myths that surround it." Our journalist should be in the vanguard to expose the news behind the news.

furthermore, we should encourage our ex-footballers who have played football at the highest level to manage our football. We should take a cue from Germany that fast tracked coaching courses for the players that won the world cup in Italia '90. Many of the ex players constantly update their knowledge about the game. Recently, Pierre Littbarski, came to Bayern Munich to learn useful skills from Louis Van gaal. What stops a Nigerian ex player from doing the same ?

We need a paradigm shift from placing too much importance in under age competitions. We all know the deal, right ?

I wish as we celebrate 50 years of independence, we should finally agree to take the driver's seat in managing our affairs. It is high time we discard our learned helplessness in the midst of chaos. We can improve our football on a shoestring, if there is commitment from players and officials. Can i get a witness ?

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

Damunk, the Midwest was once a progressive state as far as sports goes thanks to Ogbemudia but I wouldn't classify them as completely dominant. During the 70's, even though midwest schools brought in a lot of schoolboy wringers such as Amayo, Eyo, Mowarin and Adinkwe to name a few, they never managed to win the acadenicals cup, loosing successively to the West and then the East Central State. During that era, the Vipers, who would later come to be known as Bendel Insurance, won the challenge cup only once. While they were very visible and competitive, they were hardly dominant


Cheers.

[Damunk]

Yiba:

[Damunk]

Damunk, the Midwest was once a progressive state as far as sports goes thanks to Ogbemudia but I wouldn't classify them as completely dominant. During the 70's, even though midwest schools brought in a lot of schoolboy wringers such as Amayo, Eyo, Mowarin and Adinkwe to name a few, they never managed to win the acadenicals cup, loosing successively to the West and then the East Central State. During that era, the Vipers, who would later come to be known as Bendel Insurance, won the challenge cup only once. While they were very visible and competitive, they were hardly dominant


Cheers.

T3, thanks.
However, even tho Bendel Insurance as a football club may not have had the dominance of the Enugu Rangers and IICC Shooting stars, across the wider sporting spectrum, I'd still say Bendel dominated.
My point isnt particularly about who won what in which year, but more about the phenomenon that was Bendel state sports and what they did to make themselves so glaringly better than their closest rivals.
It was a revelation to me in later years when I realised it was all down to one thing: organisation

[ehiosu]

I was having similar thoughts about how to copy the Bendel Sate model of sports development and sports excellence to our national level and to serve to serve as a role model for other african countries as well.

Like we have identified already on this thread, the following were strategies that Bendel State applied.
1. School sports were taken seriously, even, from primary school levels. Talents were identified and encouraged with scholarships.
2. Bendel state built a sports camp in Afuze, where the identified state talents camped and were further developed, through rigorous training.
3. The best talents in each sports rose to the top and ended up representing the state in competitions.

Today, advanced countries have similar models.
1. For example, United States has school sports competitions in the high school and also have University leagues. This is where talents are routinely discovered for all their sports.
2. Scholarships are available for sports talents.

Our biggest challenge is corruption at all levels, otherwise, we could for example encourage our primary school sports and secondary school sports and use them to identify talents early - some of the players who came from the old Bendel state and played for Nigeria were identified even from primary school sports.

Under a corrupt regime, as we currently have, kick backs from agents, players, and godfatherism, have more influence in selecting who represents the country than pure merit. This corruption will kill any planning or execution of any program, no matter how good the program is.

Our thing I will ask for - specifically for the SE, they should challenge them to play the leading clubs in the country, and also play against the U20 teams of a different coach in publicly televised matches to see who is on the team on merit.

[Waffiman]

FWIW, 'Bendelism' is not the panacea to our problems, rather the eradication of 'rankadedeism' will spur real growth in our football.

I remember that sometime in 2001, CE members wrote a draft about the way forward for Nigeria football. Fast forward to 2010, many CE members who signed the draft are involved in shaping the "future" of our football in various capacities. What have we learned ?

CE is a microcosm of NFF. The IC/FC debate on this site is not based on facts, rather we resolve to wikiality, hoping that the turn of events will prove us right.

How many times have we resolved to go back to the "drawing board" in other to resolve our dwindling fortunes in football ? As long as our plans are not based on hard work, discipline and vision, I am afraid, we shall continue to swim in under achievement.

It is over the top to conclude that Bendelites had DNA for sport excellence. Bendel state was succesful in national sports festivals because of preparation and commitment of officials and athletes to make a difference. I remember that Oyo state was also good in sports.

Football is no longer a game for entertainment. It has become a business. Because it is a business, the game has attracted speculators and gold diggers who are looking for opportunities to strike gold. Like the stock market, everybody is rushing for the green back.In the process, the sport has lost its soul.

The officials and athletes are no longer swayed by sense of altruism or nationalism when it comes to representing Nigeria. They are there to represent their interests. Therefore, if you do not Rankadede or cozy up with officials, you do not get an invite or nomination to play for Nigeria. Also, there is so much money at stake. Greed has become the common denominator that unites the officials and players together.

Our journalists who are supposed to be the gatekeepers of information have resolved to be indolent because many do not want to rock the boat. Because the consequences could be brutal.

The stories from our Journalists could easily be classified as PR work for our officials and footballers.

John Pilger, a journalist par excellence posits, "it is not enough for journalists to see themselves as mere messengers without understanding the hidden agendas of the message and myths that surround it." Our journalist should be in the vanguard to expose the news behind the news.

furthermore, we should encourage our ex-footballers who have played football at the highest level to manage our football. We should take a cue from Germany that fast tracked coaching courses for the players that won the world cup in Italia '90. Many of the ex players constantly update their knowledge about the game. Recently, Pierre Littbarski, came to Bayern Munich to learn useful skills from Louis Van gaal. What stops a Nigerian ex player from doing the same ?

We need a paradigm shift from placing too much importance in under age competitions. We all know the deal, right ?

I wish as we celebrate 50 years of independence, we should finally agree to take the driver's seat in managing our affairs. It is high time we discard our learned helplessness in the midst of chaos. We can improve our football on a shoestring, if there is commitment from players and officials. Can i get a witness ?