In this interview with Hon. Amadi Enabulele , a seasoned politician and one of the finest hands in Governor Okpebholo administration, who doubles as the Chairman of Edo Sports Commission, shares his unique experience overseeing the activities of Bendel Insurance, Edo Queens and the Ogbe Stadium facilities since his assumption in office.
Hon. Enabulele further discusses strategies for building high-performing team by setting up team of coaches and cohesive hunt for sports stars at the grassroots level. He emphasizes that his leadership is focused on partnering with Local Government Councils to identify local talents and groom them to become international stars. In achieving this daunting task, He offers valuable advice to parents regarding their approach or views on sports and stress on the need for parents to encourage their wards to engage in sports related activities at the grassroots
*Enjoy the excerpt*
*How have you been able to redefine Sports since your inception as the Chairman of Edo Sports Commission?*
My name is Hon. Amadi Enabulele and upon my resumption of office as the Chairman of Edo Sports Commission, I met a system that needed complete overhauling. The facilities needed urgent upgrade. I also noticed that grassroots sports development were lacking in the state. My team and I also realized that we needed coach reform , accountability and transparency in the commission . When we looked at the records available , we observed that Edo State had more Silver medals than Gold medals . We decided to know what happened and we also noticed that Bayelsa had more Gold medals and that was why they were ahead of Edo in the competition held in December, 2024.
So, my team and I started working and it will interest you to know that we have already set the ball rolling by creating platform to engage more with the 18 LGAs across the state and we are working so hard to reposition the system for optimal result.
*In recent time, the stadium seems to be more busy than it used to be. What is the secret behind it sir* ?
When we came on board, there were many restrictions on the use of Ogbe Stadium. Yes, we understand that the facilities are World Class facilities but it is the property of Edo people and we can’t continue to deny them the use of the facilities, especially when it is sports related.What we did was to engage the management of secondary schools and today, they have access to carry out their inter-house sports activities. in fact, this is part of the grassroots development we are talking about. I cant say I met a commission in a very bad state but I can tell you that we have done our best to reposition the commission and opened it up for the people to access and to promote grassroots sports development.
*How would you describe the performance of Bendel Insurance and Edo Queens since your inception?*
When we came on board, we took our time to under-study some of the challenges and we came to realize that there was just one Coach managing the club. No assistant, everything centers on just one person and this was affecting the performance of Club members. Bendel Insurance was within 19th and 20th as at that time. We said no, that is not how to run a football club and achieve maximum results. I don’t know if you recalled. The previous Coach left and so, we have to confirm the acting coach then as the substantive coach and we brought in about three other coaches to assist the main Coach . As I speak to you, there is great improvement, compared to what obtained in the past. When I came on board, what my Principal , Governor Monday Okpebholo told me was to ensure we carried out a complete overhaul in the system and today , we are 3.5 to qualify for CAF. Edo Queens as we speak now are unbeatable. We just have two matches to go and they are doing very well.
_Sports, just like entertainment is also a source of revenue generation for government: Is there any plan by your leadership to start looking at that direction?_
This was one of our discussions recently with my team. When we looked at the crowd in the stadium during the match recently, we noticed that the interest of Edo people on sports is speedily coming back. At least, we had about 3,000 people that watched that match. The first thing we want to achieve is to give them an entertaining football and after that has been established , we can begin to generate revenue from gate fees and believe me , the people are ready to pay if they are entertained.
When they know they are coming to watch an interesting match, they will not hesitate to pay and by God’s grace we are getting there. When we came on board, we were able to get in new players who have changed the narratives to a positive one by rekindling the interest of the people back to football. In fact, we want to refurbish the whole system first and thereafter , we can bring on board the grassroots sports development.
_Are there plans to groom members of the club to the point of attracting international Clubs?_
If you were following very well, you will notice that Bendel Insurance was not having any players last season . They were really relegated but by God’s grace, we are bouncing back with proper managing . But at the moment, we are starting from the grassroots, trying to re-package our players to get more local and international presence. So, that two years you are talking about, so many things have happened. The commission is working with purely grassroots recruit because about 14 players left the Club and we started recruiting from the grassroots. And I can belt you, they are coming up and we will get there. Due to the experience of the coaches, we will be able to develop the players.
_Is there plans to partner with secondary schools to groom stars at that level?_
We have a Sports Committee on that. So, when we are talking of grassroots sports, that is what we are talking about by getting those at the grassroots to be involved in sports activities especially primary and secondary schools and there is a plan in place, ahead of our state sports festival. We are relying on schools as our breeding ground,
_How would you describe the average Edo Man’s interest as regards to sports?
When we came on board , the stadium was empty but I am glad that the crowd is increasing in every match . You know we cannot just develop the commission for just three months. But ,we are working as a team and we are doing everything possible to get that done. We are still in the process of recruiting stars into the club and Edo as a team ,we met on ground, we are still working on them and they are presently doing well. Having said that, Bendel Insurance as a team in the last Sports Festival came out third in position and after which so many of the athletes left, so, we wont perform below that expectation and you know when the council was made a council and was converted to commission, it was turned from employment to engagement, and so, many of the athletes were on engagement which expired in the previous administration, but they were not renewed after expiration and that affected the commission a lot. But my joy is that we are bouncing back strongly.
What is your message for Edo People?
Edo people should expect the best from us and we believe in grassroots sports development and they should just give us the support and we will give them the best. We are going to recruit our own and we have already said it. We want to go to the localities , communities and recruit those at the grassroots, bring them to the state level, develop them and make them World Class athletes in a short time. Our own local breeds that would be able to compete at the national level.