To transform sports business in Africa, we need to change our narratives – Omotoyinbo

DEJI OMOTOYINBO, convener of Sport Impact Africa, in this interview with BusinessDay’s TEMITOPE OLADEJI, discusses how the yearly program is set to be one of the biggest sport entrepreneurship events, with the theme ‘Unlocking Nigeria Sports Industry Value Chain and Youth Development Potential’.

How did a biochemistry student become a sports entrepreneur and sport caster?

I ended up in the sciences in secondary school because I was good with the sciences. People who went to school with me will know that I and my late partner Deji Tinubu were the “Go To Guys” went it came to discussing football in school.

At some point we used to watch football and write a report, pin on the notice-board and everyone would read it Deji and I would run commentary while inter-school games are being played. That love for sports media has always been there.

I studied biochemistry and ended up in the oil industry and worked in an Oil and Gas company but at some point I was not happy with what I was doing. My elder brother who is my mentor, I discussed with him and he told me you like media so why don’t you go back to school.

So I resigned my oil company appointment and I went to Nigeria Institute of Journalism (NIJ) and I took two courses; the first one in certifications of broadcasting and a one year postgraduate diploma in broadcast journalism.

We have been lazy in telling our own stories. We need to change the narrative and we have fantastic stories to tell.

How did you come across the idea “Sport Impact Africa”?

I have always wanted to find a way better for practitioners and to improve structures, doing a few things which include media trainings with Nigeria Institute of Journalism (NIJ) for young people who are interested in sports broadcasting and partnership with some SWAN journalists (Sport Writers Associations of Nigeria).

I feel we need to move from making too much noise about the problem but seeking solutions. Sport Impact Africa was supposed to start in 2020 in Ghana because it is a Pan-African thing.

We had finished preparations and gotten a location but Covid stepped in and now we just felt Nigeria is the microcosm of Africa and a lot of problems we have in Nigeria is reflecting all over Africa, which includes absence of basic infrastructure – not enough equipments and talent development, so I decided let’s start in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole.

That is why it is media and business masterclass with lectures and trainings to be delivered from the best hands in the sport industry. Discussions on commercial opportunities also make it a platform for youth development initiatives as well because sports and youth connects in a way nothing else can connect with the youth.

The Nigeria sports industry is valued at over $163 million dollars with soccer being the most lucrative sport in the country, how do you tend to infuse other sports apart from soccer?

That is the reason we are having this conversation. I understand the feeling about football but basketball is also making waves and there are a lot of basketball programs and a lot of Nigeria basketball kids who are on scholarships in America.

Basketball is another way of tapping into the numerous talents and looking at athletics, see what Tobi Amusan did. You never know in what area a child will be talented and that is why we are trying to get advice from professionals because government cannot do everything on their own and that’s why we are trying to move from the problem to impact solutions.

One of the biggest problems in unearthing Nigeria solutions is lack of basic sporting infrastructure and that is why football is so popular because football does not need any basic infrastructure. Other sports need infrastructure for instance basketball there must be a net and courtyard which also goes for other sports like cricket and tennis too.

And that is why we are going to have a lecture about alternative funding for sports infrastructure in at least every local government so that every child has access to basic sports facilities regardless of wherever they live and that goes beyond football. That is why we need to look into how to create alternative funding for a platform where children can showcase their talents and learn to keep them off the streets.

Have you thought about challenges that can arise from government policies that can interfere in fulfilling your goal?

We do not believe the government has all the solutions and that is why those that make our living from the sport industry need to get up and start searching for solutions. This project is not about the government, rather, trying to speak to ourselves on how we can make things better.

We have a keynote speaker who is the chairman of Lagos State sports commission who will talk about public-private partnerships as a means to unravelling the potentials of the country and that is the first topic to be discussed in the program.

This is why we need both the public and private sectors relationship to achieve this and one of other examples is the president of Toronto Raptors basketball team Masai Ujiri who has built several basketball courts across Lagos and I also had the opportunity to interview him and there is also Obinna Ekezie an ex-NBA star who has built basketball courts in different parts of the country.

How often will the program be held?

We have not made that decision but my dream is to make it a Pan-African project and take it to other parts of the continent and most likely will come up every second or third-quarter of the year. It can still be held in Nigeria for the next edition or another part of the continent.

Read also: Tobi Amusan becomes Ogun sports ambassador

Is the media an accomplice to how the world views African sports and personalities?

We have a topic on our program called “changing the media narratives” and this is exactly what it is trying to address. Most of our reporters go to the western media to source for news. We have been lazy in telling our own stories. We need to change the narrative and we have fantastic stories to tell.

Look at Nigeria 94 World Cup exploit and what Ghana did in 2010 World Cup even though they didn’t win and Tobi Amusan inspiring a lot of young people across Africa. Also take a look at the English Premier League where a lot of African players have done exceptionally well.

It is time to tell their stories and this is one of the main reasons that inspired this vision and I took it upon myself and some of my colleagues and partners to get this done.

What has been your experience over the 29 years in this industry?

From a business perspective we create content as sports media personalities. Even Sport Impact Media is content we have created but we started as creating programs for radio and television but nothing beats creating media content and getting a sponsor to put money behind it because you have to be on top of your game.

It involves getting sponsors who add value to what you are doing and as a company we have been able to do that and put out a lot of content. That is where we make a major part of our money and also the success of our programs. It has been the biggest challenge but it has also been the biggest ally because we have done so many programs over the years and we have had sponsors that made us successful in our production on both radio and television.

We have a program that has gone on for 20 years and that program is the only program that has been sponsored by four major telecommunications network providers in the country. We have also had television shows that have been sponsored by top-notch companies but funding has just been the major problem and more so the advertising budget is shrinking. Also, more private content producers and more production producers are looking into the same pot to draw their meals.