By Nick Butler

Nigeria are partnering with the army to increase their sporting success ©AFP/Getty ImagesA partnership between the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and the country's military is to take a next step after after members of the armed forces have been identified as potential Nigerian medal winners of the future.


This follows the NOC's pledge last month to take advantage of the military and paramilitary forces facilities and expertise in sports which provide multiple medal opportunities in the Olympics, such as shooting, swimming and boxing.

NOC President Engr Sani Ndanusa has made the latest appeal after a meeting with the chief of army staff Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah, in which he appealed for greater collaboration.as part of a project entitled One Service One Medal (OSOM).

Ndanusa also noted that a considerable percentage of the country's Olympic and Commonwealth Games medals have come courtesy of members of the armed forces. 

Engr Ndanusa further stated that the focus of OSOM is to ensure "quality participation at the 2015 All Africa Games and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games."

It is thought that boxing, a key part of military training, will form a particular area of focus.

This is particularly because Lieutenant General Minimah is the current President of the Nigeria's Boxing Federation, thus making closer ties even easier. 

It is thought the military could particularly provide support in sports like boxing ©Getty ImagesIt is thought the military could particularly provide support in sports like boxing
©Getty Images





This all comes as part of a wave of new measures introduced by the NOC in a bid to improve upon the country's disappointing performance at London 2012.

Nigeria has been one of the strongest nations on the continent over recent decades, winning 19 medals across the five Games between Barcelona 1992 and Beijing 2008, including three gold medals in the sports of athletics and football.

But the west African nation drew a complete blank at London 2012, despite sending a seemingly strong squad of 53 athletes competing across eight different sports, and afterwards President Goodluck Jonathan called for a "complete overhaul of Nigerian sports administration".

As part of this, partnerships have also been sought with the National Sports Commission (NSC) in order to improve the structure and organisation of sport in a long-term sense, while greater collaboration is also being sought with local councils.

But the collaboration with the armed forces comes at a particularly interesting time, as the military are also engulfed in a struggle against Islamist separatist group Boko Haram, following various instances of schoolgirls being abducted

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