President of the Nigeria Chess Federation, DIG Sani Mohammed (retd.), reveals his plans for the NCF, his enjoying profession and extra, on this interview with ‘TANA AIYEJINA
s the NCF president, would you say the place you envisaged chess to be is the place it’s now in Nigeria?
No, this can be a course of. It’s a means to an finish, not an finish itself. We have now began from such a humble starting and now we see children developing and blooming. You may see from the demonstration sport the little lady Michelle performed. It isn’t by mistake that I gave her a wild card to compete on this occasion as an invitational participant, which signifies that she has the potential to turn into a nationwide feminine champion sooner or later.
She was alleged to go to Egypt for the African people’ occasion however there was a mix-up in her visa software and I do know that the organisers intentionally averted her as a result of she has the potential to win. She is kind of like an undertaker. Actually talking, till I see them turn into title-winning gamers in 4 to 5 years to come back, when we have now a Grandmaster within the female and male classes, then I can say we’ve accomplished nicely. I might not be there because the president however the course of has began from my predecessor, Lekan Adeyemi, who’s the FIDE president after which again to me. I’ll play my half and hand over to the following particular person, however I feel we have now not reached the place we need to be. I’ll be sure that these gamers get to the height of their careers. As a federation, we have now not reached the place we need to be, however we’re in transit.
The early days of chess have been powerful, like sourcing for funds to characteristic at occasions and likewise making the sports activities ministry recognise it as a sport. What have been the challenges you confronted enjoying chess?
I confronted loads of challenges, first from an ethical floor. I come from Bauchi within the northern a part of the nation and predominantly an Islamic background. So, you’ll be able to think about enjoying chess in that space. I began enjoying chess at my faculty, Boma Unity Faculty, and Iwe have been privileged to have 70 per cent of our lecturers as foreigners. They launched chess to the scholars in 1973. I began enjoying chess once I was in Kind 1. The reward of a chess board that I had, my grandmother noticed it and she or he used to say that I used to be worshipping idols due to the items on the chess board. However I needed to smuggle them out to go play with my mates. So, it was not straightforward up until the time our founding fathers fought for the way forward for the game. We took over that combat. I keep in mind in 1989, once I was serving within the previous Bendel State. I used to be a member of the Bendel Soccer Affiliation and the Bendel Chess Affiliation. So, throughout that point, we tried to get chess accepted on the nationwide degree. Once I returned to Bauchi, I used to be the Deputy Superintendent of Police and from there I moved to Abuja, the place I turned the pioneer chairman of chess. At that time, my home turned the home of chess routinely. And my youngsters don’t exit, they took to chess.
The likes of Olympic gold medallist Chioma Ajunwa, the late Sunday Bada, an Olympic gold medallist as nicely and Samuel Peter, a former world heavyweight boxing champion in addition to your self are cops. What’s the connection between the Nigerian Police Power and sports activities?
Ajunwa is my daughter and I mentored Samuel Peter. I keep in mind in 1999, earlier than the Olympics in Sydney, I used to be on the Nationwide Institute for Sports activities as a Chief Superintendent. Then I bought together with a colleague James Okunbor. We supported Peter even when he had challenges within the US. My elders within the NPF additionally backed him and all of the Inspectors-Common of Police supported our sportsmen. We had a deliberate plan for sports activities. I used to be Director of Sports activities within the Nigeria Police Power and I used to be chairman for a further eight years. So, as soon as they get invited for a coaching camp or programme abroad, I write a letter of approval for them to be launched, assist them financially in addition to be sure that their salaries proceed. So, anytime we have now our native police video games, regardless of the place they’re, they need to pay their method right down to compete. That was after we wanted their companies. Additionally they helped enhance the picture of the NPF after they weren’t in Nigeria. Even when Ajunwa had her challenges, we all know the function we performed to make sure we helped.
Again to chess, what is going to you say are your best achievements as a chess participant?
As a chess participant, I performed the sport on the college degree and gained silver on the Nigeria College Video games. That point it was not a scoring occasion and by the point it turned one, I represented my state on the Nationwide Sports activities Pageant in Benue State in 1996 and that was my final occasion. We gained gold, silver and crew bronze. I used to be a participant and a coach on the video games. I additionally attended a number of Olympiads as president of the chess federation. I doubled because the president as a result of I’m a professional FIDE teacher and FIDE arbiter and a coach. I’ve three titles in FIDE. I’m additionally a chess organiser. I earned my title in Istanbul, Turkey in 2012. So, within the facet of enjoying, that was what I achieved however I achieved extra as an administrator as a result of I used to be a coach and a md at this degree. I used to be pioneer chairman of chess within the FCT after which I turned president of the federation from 2004 until 2012. Afterwards, I turned the zonal president in Africa. I used to be a member of the Commonwealth Chess Affiliation governing board. I used to be elected in Turin.
So, what’s your board doing to maneuver chess ahead?
By the way, we don’t have the specified funding, so I mandated every zonal consultant to boost funds and host their championships. The board has accomplished its greatest.
What are your grassroots plans?
Our grassroots programmes have been constant. Should you take a look at our calendar, we had extra grassroots tournaments this 12 months, it was identical factor even in my first tenure. We made it obligatory that each match, each on-line and bodily, have their very own junior occasions for colleges and for ladies. For the primary time in 5 years, Nigeria took half within the World Faculty Staff Championship in Kazakhstan. A faculty in Lagos certified for the championship and so they did nicely. So, we are going to proceed in that trajectory.