The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to see that sports in Nigeria witness a turnaround in 2025 and beyond.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Adeyinka Adeboye Zulu, stated this at the final of the maiden FCT Area Council Cup which was held on Sunday at the Apo Football Pitch, Abuja.
Zulu said all necessary plans have been put in place to make sure that youths are positively and productively engaged from the elementary school to higher institutions to participate in sports and chart a career that will benefit them on the long run.
He also assured that the 10-year Sports Master Plan will see the light of the day through the National Sports Commission under the leadership of Mallam Shehu Dikko and Bukola Olopade, the chairman and the Director General respectively.
“My major plan (in 2025) is for us to get it right with grassroots, to understand, to orientate and to lecture them (the youths) on why they have to participate in sports in their various local government to the states.
“And what I mean is that it is high time for us to make sure that our young and talented youths have something doing for themselves, their states and the country. But I’m assuring you that our own plan is to engage the youths from the primary school to tertiary institutions and see that they really particle in sports.
“I want to assure you that the 10-year Master Plan on Sports is surely going to see the light of the day. You have a respected, a reliable and a tested chairman of the National Sports Commission.
“We also have a Director General who has been in sports for the past 30 years and I want to assure you that working together with these two people, our sports will witness a lot of improvement when you talk of grassroots sports rise to the highest level to the elite sports in this country.
“What you see today is the younger generation coming out enmasse to support Mr President. It shows that the President is a grassroots man, it shows that Bitrus is a man of the people, it shows the love he has for Abuja. And very soon, we will see our youths representing the country in international competitions,” the SSA said.
Bitrus Lawrence Garki, the Mandate Secretary, FCT Area Council Services Secretariat, , who is the organizer of the competition, said it was about giving platform to youths in the FCT to showcase their talents to the world adding that it was a celebratory tournament “to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for this landmark achievement which is the local government autonomy and appreciate him for looking at the grassroots and for making a decision that will ensure that development comes to the grassroots directly.”
At the end of hostilities which was competed for by 12 teams, Srikers FC emerged as champions beating Emirates FC by 3 goals to 2 through penalties. While Srikers FC smiled out with N1 million, Emirates FC FC got N500,000 for their efforts.
