School Sports, Grassroots Community Sports Development Top Lagos’ Agenda In 2021

TAIWO ADELU

Lagos State Government has reiterated its readiness to ensure that the state remains Nigeria’s hub for sports and it would leave nothing to chance to make sure that the youth are constantly engage to exhibit their God-given talents in sports

.

While unveiling the government’s agenda and programmes for sports in the New Year at an interactive session with the sporting media on Tuesday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, the Executive Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission, Mr. Sola Aiyepeku said that though COVID-19 pandemic took the shine off most of the Commission’s planned programmes in 2020, moving forward in 2021, the Commission has mapped out strategies to keep the state’s athletes busy, and at their same time strictly observe all health protocols to guard against the spread of novel coronavirus among its teeming athletes and officials.

“Our plan is to combine education and sports together this year because we want to place premium attention on school sports in Lagos State in 2021,” Aiyepeku said via Zoom, which was shown live on a big screen during the media parley attended physically by the Director General of the Sports Commission, Mr. Oluwatoyin Gafaar and other top management staff of the Commission.

“The reason for this focus is to unearth these young athletes at their tender ages. We want to discover them, nurture and groom them to become elite athletes in the nearest future.

“The Sports Commission will work in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth and Social Development to achieve this goal. While we are doing this, the programmes we are having for other categories of athletes will not suffer neglect as we want to bring multi level layer of success to Lagos state in 2021,” he said.

“The school sports programme was planned to take off last April, but for COVID-19/pandemic, we had to put it on hold.

“This year we want to create platforms where our talents will be out to express themselves, give them talent progression, though it will be gradual, we must however start somewhere.”

Aiyepeku revealed that in the next few weeks, the state will unveiled a programme tagged ‘Grassroots Community Sports Development’ targeting at talents outside schools. This programme, according to him, is to rejuvenate sporting activities across the nook and crannies of the state with the objectives of keeping the youth actively engage and give them rewards and honours for their talents.

He disclosed that the state will also come out with a Girl-Child  initiative programme as well as the Disable Games for the physically challenged athletes.

“Whatever happens, we are looking forward to doing things that are very significantly tailored towards the development of sports  and our athletes in Lagos State,” Aiyepeku said.

Director General Oluwatoyin Gafaar said that Lagos state is noted for its good and robust welfare packages for its athletes and officials. He assured that there are incentives for those athletes that will be discovered.

He said that this year, while observing strictly COVID-19 protocols in all its activities, Lagos State Sports Commission plans to have continuous events throughout the year.