By Kanayo Jeremiah
It was the great Mahatma Gandhi that enthused wholly that, “Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle, and a victory.”
Indeed, the path of one of Nigeria’s finest Sports professionals, Mrs Amaka Ashiofu, has been that of intense leadership disposition, humility and service to the nation through the instrumental application of using Sports to touch lives in leaps and bound.
Right from the 90s till the very moment, she has remained dedicated to serve her fatherland as a distinguished Federal Civil Servant, not knowing that many are watching her.
Her track record of resilience and undaunted efforts, in the past years as a known disciplined Sports Officer, back in 1999 have gone unnoticed, though she doesn’t like limelight.
From when it was National Sports Commission to Ministry of Youth and Sports, back to Ministry of Sports Development, most stakeholders, including her immediate colleagues who had worked and those still working with her in various departments of the country’s sporitng sector have watched her with top notch admiration.
Nigeria’s sporting media practitioners (respected Journalists) have equally held her in high esteem as she takes her work as Sports Woman of Repute seriously without wanting to be in public light, while being posted to carry out her duties from one department to another within the current Ministry of Sports development.
The departments she had worked under the ministry with direct contact and services to the young and energetic Nigerians include Grassroots, National Sports Festival and Para-Sports, Coaching and Training, and Federation and Elite Athletes.
Mrs Ashiofu has continued to prioritise details to every aspect of her official dealings while she worked with great minds who were her superiors, supervisors, bosses including Directors and Director-Generals, Permanent Secretaries in her different offices under the Ministry of Sports development or as it was in its previous nomenclature.
Time after time, she grew through, from one level of available Civil Sevice position to another with Sports always etched in all her promotions.
From 1999 when she was officially confirmed in the Sports environment, Mrs Ashiofu transited from Executive to Officer’s cadre in the Sports Ministry till her current position as a Deputy Director whose heights continue to flourish.
Ashiofu’s deserved accolades by both high-ranking officials of the Sports Ministry speaks volume of her dexterity and towering sense of purpose in honour and simplest approach to the core.
The memory of her glow even when she deservedly held sway as the Acting Director Federation and Elite Athletes Department (FEAD) from when the former Minister of Youth and Sports development, Chief Sunday Dare was in charge with Mr. Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar as Permanent Secretary was evident as her advice and sense of outstanding personality witnessed one of Nigeria’s best ever outing at All Africa Games, now African Games in Ghana.
Certainly, Mrs Amaka Ashiofu is “a go through” in sports-related operations as far as the Federal Ministry of Sports is concerned. Her touch of Sports experience and numerous qualifications is what the Sports ministry will always find useful and resourceful, virtually all Sports Federation Presidents undeniably attest to these and more.
Moreso, and just like another great philosopher, David Maister, puts it, “Professionalism is not a label you give yourself – it’s a description you hope others will apply to you”.
Therefore, let the good work of Ashiofu continue to reverberate now and always.
Kanayo, a sports and social commentator, writes from Abuja.
