Decoding Nasiwu’s vision on return to UVF helm

After two months of campaigns, Sadik Nasiwu raced to a landslide victory, reducing Eddie Okila and Hadija Namanda to onlookers in Uganda Volleyball Federation (UVF) election last Sunday.

The numbers from the elections showed Nasiwu had done a good job at convincing the elective assembly he had the magic wand to overturn the game’s misfortunes.

He tallied 227 votes, 83 percent of the vote, to the 27 and 20 respectively of Okila and Namanda to return for a second spell as president.
That is a kind of win you take home and feel you owe whoever opted for you, they have trusted you and the payback is serving the game without compromise.
Nasiwu is not new to the office as he was there before between 2009 and 2017.

“I have been here and done it before,” he said after winning assuming a new four-year mandate.
In an interview, he revealed his plan to breathe life into the game he described as “deteriorated” during his campaigns.

State of the game  
According to Nasiwu, volleyball is similar to a home unaware where its next meal is coming from. It has been the case for the last four years of Namanda’s term and that is why he was asked to return.
“The people have requested me to return and fix things,” he argued.

“The state of volleyball is not good and full of a lot of uncertainties, we have lost the sponsors, an office, administrators, primary school volleyball and beach volleyball is almost not heard of.”

An indoor and outdoor sport, the game has no home for decades. Nasiwu has that in his plan, it stretches to the federation too having a centralised office where activities are coordinated.
“It’s our dream to have a permanent home, and we are going to look for avenues to see it that we get a place called home, but this requires assistance from various stakeholders because it requires big amounts of money,” he says.

Unity
It is no secret that there are elements that don’t side with him although his landslide victory suggests the majority are his camp.
“We have reconciled with most of those elements from the moment I was declared winner, that was my first call, I extended a fresh olive branch to all to join me in developing the game,” he said.
He admitted that the game needs the unit as a whole to move forward.

Grassroots
There has been talk of taking the game to the grassroots from all candidates.
“We are planning to take the game upcountry to primary and secondary schools, look for equipment (balls and nets), assist in technical support in terms of coaches and skill transfer and also engaging grassroots stakeholders to appreciate volleyball in their institutions,” Nasiwu explains.

Finances
Sponsorship is a massive challenge to all sports in Uganda. Nasiwu inherits a needy federation and has to devise means of beefing up the coffers.
“Money is essential in organising tournaments, skilling coaches, buying equipment and so on all needs money which can come from sponsors or the game generating its own income, the latter remains a far cry for now which leave vouching for sponsorship the more viable option.

“We are going to look at finances for the game, we have ever done it before. We need to build the trust of sponsors and get them onboard. We’ll engage CAVB [African Volleyball Confederation], FIVB [International Volleyball Federation], local sponsors like NSSF, among others.”

Why Nasiwu?

“I think the elective congress chose me because of what I did for volleyball and also the potential I possess to uplift the game again. My last eight years saw volleyball flourish,” Nasiwu opined.
Outgoing president Namanda had become unpopular. Nasiwu had even accused her of running the federation as an individual.

A section of delegates who showed up for the election thought she had lost the plot and had become a distant figure.
Of the three contenders, only Okilaw had never served the office.

Observers think he focused on himself and what he had achieved as an individual rather than convincing delegates why he was the man to go for. All that played into Nasiwu’s hands.

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