SPORT COACHING AND PEACE BUILDING IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

SPORT COACHING AND PEACE BUILDING IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The study, “Sport coaching and peace building” is aimed at raveling the role of sport as a unifying agency and a tool for bringing about peace and development thereby reducing crime and delinquency in Nigeria, a case study of Plateau state. Nigeria is a complex nation and multi regional, ethnic, political, religious and culturally diverse population. The problem of integration still remains a challenge (among others) to the country. The researcher employed structural functionalism as a theoretical frame work. The study employed descriptive survey design and data was collected using questionnaire and interview. Questionnaires were distributed to a total sample of (120) respondents which were selected for the study using stratified random sampling technique. Total of (15) respondents were also interviewed. The findings revealed that sport has achieved in its role as a unifying agent in Nigeria. Sport teaches good morals, sport contribute to the physical and mental development of the youths, sport help to prevent youth from delinquent behaviours, sport contribute to social development of the community. The researcher recommends that private individuals, organizations and government should invest in sport to encourage its development, policy makers should make and implement policies that would encourage the participation of students in sport, and grass root sport should be encouraged.  The researcher concluded that sport programmes under the supervision of good coaches should be a multi agency approach in building peace and development process.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1          Background to the Study

Coaching develops people through improving their performance (Criesfield et al., 2005). Sport is a recognized instrument for promoting peace, as it disregards both geographical borders and social class. It also plays a significant role as a promoter of social integration and economic development in different geographical, cultural and political contexts (Criesfield et al, 2005).

The use of sports for purposes of development has been increasingly important topic particularly in post-conflict societies (Giulianotti, 2011). The research on role of sports and particularly football in building peace is becoming even more important for sport organizations, donors as well as policy makers in variety of countries in the world. However, the empirical findings in this regard are not conclusive as in some situations in some countries sports contributes to social harmony while in some others it feeds conflict (Gasser and Levinsen, 2004; Giulianotti, 2011). This is because there is non-agreement in the literature on the role of sports in peace building. First, sport was viewed as mechanism to increase antagonism between rivalry groups and may reinforce division if not properly controlled (Majaro‐Majesty, 2011) of ethnicities and; second sport could facilitate social inclusion and integration (Gasser and Levinsen, 2004). In particular, there is a gap in the literature on how sport can be used more productively as a peace building device in post conflict countries.

Armstrong (2002:1) observed that, to the people of a nation suffering from a decade – long civil conflict, football, in this case sport could be seen by some as an ideal solution to providing a focus of national unity to a society fragmented by both ethnicity, regionalism, and age groupings. The word “sport” etymologically is derived from its Latin root ‘desporto’, meaning “to carry away”. This historical origin implies diversion from instrumental routines and suggests recreation. In historical terms, the idea that participation in sport has some utility (other than being enjoyed for its own sake) can be traced to the mid-nineteenth-century. United kingdom Middle-class reformers in the area of education and urban welfare began to develop the idea that sport participation, appropriately directed, could be involved in the development of character, work directed, could be involved in the development of character, work discipline, teamwork, fair play, and other socially approved characteristics.   

Falola, (1998) shown that Sports began to be justified in education, youth detention centers, and by urban agencies, in attempt to affect the character and behavior of participants. These ideas spread to developed countries, and also became a part of the system of colonization, where the British games tradition was often transferred to colonized population.

Organized sport is still justified in these same terms as evident in the mission statement of any youth sport organization – what the organization claims will be taught to the participants involves a great deal more than sport.

            Clark and Critcher, (1985) noted that encouragement of organized sport was simultaneously a means of controlling the character anarchic behaviour of public school boys and of redirecting the public ethos towards a model of what would be termed as refurbished image tarnished by low morality and dubious academic accomplishment. Sport and physical activity are rapidly gaining recognition as simple, low-cost, and effective means of achieving development goals. Over the past decade, UN agencies, international sport federations, international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and national government have been using sport as a tool for development and peace.

            UNESCO, in its efforts to use sport as a catalyst for peace and social development has supported sport initiative in Central American countries to promote peace and prevent delinquency and drug consumption. (International Olympic Committee, 2009). In Nigeria, further evidence is needed to shed more light on the contribution of sport in relaxation of social tension, building bridges between divided communities in post conflict communities like Jos north. This line of research is important as there is an increasing role of governments, international organizations in providing funds and support to design and implement sport programs aimed at fostering peace within and between nations. These stakeholders are interested in new evidence to search what have worked in such programs in different parts of the world (Majaro‐Majesty, 2011).

            Sports for peace in ECOWAS countries aim at promoting greater cohesion and cooperation in the region.

            In Nigeria, sport most especially football has succeeded to a large extent in bringing about national integration. When Nigeria is playing, we all speak football we seem to forget all our differences. Nobody bother whether this player is from the North or South or whether he is a Christian or Muslim or he is Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, or from any of the numerous 374 ethnic groups. At that moment, what matters is for the country to triumph at the expense of its opponent (Andrews and Andrews. 2002).

            The situation is also the same at state level as far as national integration is concern. Almost in every nook and cranny, children may be seen enjoying the game. According to Nelson Mandela; he said: football has the power to unite people in a way little else anything can. Football can create hope where there was one only despair, it breaks down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of discrimination; football speaks to people in a language they can understand (Gould. 2004).

            The University of Jos Annual peace sport championship for tertiary institutions in Plateau State (UNAPSCTIPS) was a step by the university to encourage the advancement of learning, promote scholarship and community service and enhancing the character molding of the students (Gofwen 2013 p1).

            If development in any system involves the attainment of sustainable social change in all spheres of endeavor, then sports development will mean changes that include the availability of modern and well maintained sporting infrastructure, necessary man power development, provision of sporting equipment, effective management of sports, adequate funding and investment (Gofwen, 2013). Within this context, some major benefits associated with the University of Jos Peace Sport Championship and sports in general are:

• Sport is capable of providing direction and purpose for the people and society; this means that sport gives people the path-way towards peace building.
• Sports teach morals; in this case, it teaches didactic lessons, tenacity, endurance of winning and losing, team play and crowd management.
• Sports have the capacity to build confidence and self-esteem; this involves the capacity to challenge, inspire and most of all, the capacity to provide endless hours of enjoyment and fun.
• Sports are a unifying factor; in the community and among communities, in the nation and also among nations. It bridges social, racial, cultural, ethnic and religious divides.
• Sports create jobs for the teaming unemployed population of Nigerians who crave to be gainfully employed; this invariably means that sports provide people with the ample opportunity to be gainfully employed.
• Sports helps the country harness her resources; this enables the country to make the best use of the limited resources and providing integrated opportunities in a coordinated manner for people to progress at their own peace.

Giving the increasing global trend of using sport as a medium to resolve global issues, the field of sport management and educational institutions faces new challenges, the absence of substantial scientific evidence, and of an undergoing theoretical framework of how sport can serve as an institution for positive social change indicate significant gab between theory and practice (Lyras 2007, UN 2003, 2005).

It is in this vein that the researcher intends to assess the role of sport coaching in peace building and development.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

            Nigeria is an extremely large country divided by marked regionalism, religion, culture, and ethnically diverse population. Indeed, the issue of diversity and how to manage it have been a challenge to Nigeria since the attainment of independent. There have been calls and cries of marginalization, in appointment and employments in the various ministerial departments of the country. Some state and ethnic groups have not felt government impact as regards Federal Government projects and programms. This has created a majority-minority divide. (Giulianotti, Armstrong, 2011).

The emergence of sectarian associations such as the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and OhanezeNdigbo from the South – East, Niger Delta peoples volunteer force (NDPVE) from the South-South, Arewa consultative Forum (ACF) from the North are evidence to the fact that the various groups have lost confidence in the effectiveness, capacity and relevance of Nigeria’s federal structure. Awolowo (1943) quoted that: “Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression. There are no Nigerians in the same sense as there are “English” “Welsh”, or “French”. The word Nigeria is merely a distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria and those who do not”.

National integration is a problem for developing nations, and Nigeria is not an exception. The demonstration of this failure in Nigeria is clearly captured and manifested in the increasing spate of ethno-religious, ethno-political violence, political instability, social conflict and complaint of marginalization. Some of these undesirable results include; the civil war of 1967 – 1970. The ZangonKataf Crisis in Kaduna State of 1991, the Jukun and Tiv in Wukuri 1999/2000, the 2001 – 2011 Jos recurrent crises, the 2006 Nami crisis in Namu town, in those conflicts, social separation and dichotomy has evolved in communities in Nigeria. This is the classification of the “indigene” and settler, “Muslim” and “Christian” dichotomy.

            The Jos crisis took different dimensions ranging from the one caused by political instability to religious dimension and ethnic conflicts. The contemporary political conflict between the indigenes and the Hausa – Fulani dates back at least two decades under the military administration of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. The establishment of a local government in which the Hausa – Fulani group was predominant in 1991. The new boundaries made the Berom, Anaguta and Afizere minorities within Jos North L.G.A. since the creation of Jos North L.G.A elections and political appointments have been accompanied by strong tension between the Hausa and the indigenes. A first minor crisis occurred in 1994 over the appointment of a Hausa candidate as chairman of the Jos North Local Government Council.

The religious dimension of the conflict in Jos is caused by several factors, religion has become entrenched in Nigerian politics, both politicians and religious leaders urging their followers to vote along religious lines (Falola, 1998, PP. 2-3). The introduction of the sharia criminal code in 12 Northern states in 2000 and 2001 provoked major protest from Christians, many objected to what they perceived as a progressive Islamization of public life and discrimination against Christian minorities in Northern cities. This development led to a substantive number of Christians to move out from the northern states Kano and Bauchi in Plateau States and they brought with them stories of atrocities which let to tensions between religious communities in Jos.

            The November 2008 violent in Jos was ethno political in all ramifications, the principal actors and the reason so far points to one inevitable conclusion: the struggle by ethnic groups to capture political power and manipulate for selfish reasons, we cannot deny the fact that mosques and churches were destroyed, so also schools, residential houses, markets and other places that serve the common needs of all regardless of faith were destroyed (Jos North Muslim Ummah, 2009a).

During the 2011 gubernatorial elections, the regional and religious framing of the Jos conflict surfaced. The former vice – Governor Pauline Tallen has secured Jasawa support in her race against Governor Jonal Jang, a day before the election, text messages were sent around in Jos claiming that she was an instrument within the collective Hausa aspiration to rule Nigeria. To all Muslims: we must reclaim Kaduna. Install a Muslim governor in Taraba plant a deputy governor in Benue install a woman governor (which is haram but she’s a necessary weapon of change) in Plateau we must capture central Nigeria. Council of Ulama, Northern Nigeria (Owuamanam, 2011).

            The urban epicenter of violence lies in the densely populated poor neighborhoods’ of Jos North L.G.A.  The area’s most affected by violence are the large central neighborhoods’ Nasarawa Gwom (including Dutseuku), Congo Russia, Ali Kazaure, and Rikkos. The settlement around the University of Jos, AngwamRogo has become exclusively Muslim since the 2001 riots. On the other side, Apata became exclusively Christian – mainly Igbo – after 2001. Congo – Russia a Christian neighborhood was mostly razed to the ground during the 2008 riots.

            Voluntary and forced displacements of people have reshaped the city of Jos. Prejudice and hate preaching remain problems on both sides. The principle of an eye for an eye finds many supporters among the youth, calls for retaliation and revenge are significant to both Christians and Muslim – defend their youth as engaging in self-defense.

            Sexual violence against women occurred on both sides during the crisis (Higazi, 2007 P. 18) silent killing continued into 2011 (Nigerian observer, 2001).

            Since 2001 violence, there has been one dialogue forum after the other, discussing on how to co-exist peacefully, but it did not help. Early warning system before the 2001 crisis was not in place in Jos until after the crisis, policing Special Task Force (STF) comprising mobile police and military forces: prevents violent clashes and silent killing. Response of the state government to violent unrest has been the deployment of military forces and the declaration of curfews and State of emergency respectively.

            Peace summit 2002 and 2004 peace conferences are also remarkable. Civil society efforts are also not left out. The Jos – based NGO center for peace initiative and development (CEPIO) organized radio and television announcement to promote peaceful coexistence, with the support of USAID’S office of transition initiatives (HRW, 2001). Community initiative such as; mixed vigilante group to guard settlement against outside attackers. The women group largely managed their regular meeting on their own after several of them had received short-term training form DPI.

            Initiatives such as the use of sport to bring peace in Jos was also introduced by both government organizations, non-governmental organizations and also by private individuals, examples of these initiatives includes: The University of Jos Annual Peace Sport championship for Tertiary Institutions in Plateau State (UNAPSCTIPS), the STF football peace tournament, and the  Quande Peace Tournament among others. USAID also established ‘Basketball for peace (BB4P) ‘programs to offer youths’ opportunities to bridge differences with others and to practice self-discipline during basketball training and competitions’ (USAID Nigeria, 2009, P.1).

Currently in Jos labels such as ‘settler’, ‘native’, ‘non-native’, ‘foreigner’, ‘stranger’, ‘element’, ‘immigrant’, ‘migrant’, ‘non-indigene’, among many others are used daily to described, stigmatize or stereotype the others as a category who ‘does not belong’ (Danfulani; 2006, P.1). In principle, all Nigerian citizens are equal no matter the circumstances of their birth, and whether or not they reside in their places of origin. But in practice one is a Nigerian citizen only in his state of origin, no matter for how long one resides or domiciles in a state other than his own.

            The proliferation of arm in the whole region and their acquisition by community groups has been reported over the past years. Many residents believe that the elites sponsor the purchase of arms. The segregation of communities is proceeding rapidly in Jos, prejudice and hate preaching remain problems on both sides. (Ojukwu and Onifade 2010).

1.3       Research Questions

The following question will guide this research:

1. What is the role of sport in the project of community – building?
2. What is the contribution of sport coaching as a unifying agent in Plateau state?
3. What is the impact of sport coaching on youth/child development?
4. What is the role of coaches on sport and peace building?

1.4          Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this work is to assess the role of sport coaching as a unifying agency and a tool for bringing about peace and development in Plateau state, Nigeria.

1.     To investigate the role of sport in the project of community-building.

2. To assess the contribution of sport coaching as a unifying agent in Plateau state.
3. To examine the role of sport coaching on youth/child development.
4. To assess the role of coaching on sport and peace building.

TOPIC: SPORT COACHING AND PEACE BUILDING IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

Chapters: 1 - 5
Delivery: Email

Number of Pages: 80

Price: 3000 NGN

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