Posted by Ademola Oni and Opeyemi Quadri on
The Minister of Sports and Social Development, Dr. Saidu Samaila, has promised urgent attention for the decaying facilities at the National Stadium in Lagos.
The Minister of Sports and Social Development, Dr. Saidu Samaila, has promised urgent attention for the decaying facilities at the National Stadium in Lagos.
Samaila, speaking after his maiden visit to the nation's hitherto prime sports complex, on Friday, said he could not believe the poor state of the facilities at the complex, which was abandoned by the authorities after the completion of the Abuja Stadium and the movement of the sports ministry to Abuja.
'To be very honest with you, I'm astonished with the level of dilapidation of our facilities in Lagos. The dilapidation is such that the facilities demand serious and urgent attention, and within the shortest possible time, we shall do our best to address the situation," he said.
The minister said it was his desire to visit all other sports complexes in the country under the supervision of the ministry with the aim of improving the facilities in them for the benefit of Nigerian sports men and women.
He added that his visit was not publicized so that he would be 'able to meet things the way they are, so that we can improve on them."
Samaila stated that while the government was not favourably disposed to the funding of sports associations, the ministry would do its best to support them in their areas of needs.
He said, 'We already know the position of the government concerning the funding of the associations. But I want to assure you that we shall not abandon them. We are working hard to get the private sector of the economy to fully participate in the funding of sports.
'If MTN is doing its own, if Nigerian Breweries is also doing its own and others like them are actively involved in sports, the onus now rests on us to make sure that we add some values to their operations in the country. That will motivate them to do better. This way, we can encourage them to continue to support us."
The minister promised that all the sports associations would be given the attention they deserved, irrespective of their positions.
'For me and the people working with me, we will do everything we can to ensure they are given the attention and encouragement they deserve in the interest of our national unity, whether it is football, wrestling, judo or any other sport.
SUNDAY PUNCH, August 07, 2005