The Executive Chairman of the Kwara State Sports Commission, Mallam Bola Mogaji has identified lack of sporting facilities in primary and post primary schools as the bane of grassroots sports development.
Mallam Mogaji also identified low interest of Physical and Health Education (PHE) teachers handling sports in their various schools as another problem of sports development at the grassroots.
While receiving the Executive members of the Kwara State chapter of the Nigeria Schools Sports Federation (NSSF), who are on a courtesy visit to his office on Friday, Mallam Mogaji said that the grassroots of any sports rests on the State Universal Basic Education board (SUBEB) and the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development.
According to him, “we are now struggling to organize sports meets in schools because of lack of facilities like we used to have before now.
“Before now, we have facilities in schools, and we used to have inter-class and inter-schools competitions, as well as meets for top athletes, from where state athletics were being picked.
While pledging that the Commission will work hard on having facilities in schools to fully revive school sports, Mallam Mogaji called for collaboration among relevant agencies to make it happen.
He also added that the Commission is working on rallying stakeholders for an elaborate seminar on way forward for all-round sports development in the state.
Earlier in his address, the State Coordinator of NSSF, Mr Bakare A. S. congratulated the Executive Chairman and members of the Commission on their appointment, as he equally congratulated the Commission on their achievement at the recently concluded 6th National Youth Games.
He called for the support of the Commission in reviving schools sports in the state.
Other members of NSSF that graced the occassion are Mallam Yahaya Aduagba (Teaching Service Commission), Ahmed Adebayo (Sports Commission), Sulaiman Yahaya (ASSPO), Mrs Abimbola Olaoye (ANCOPSS), and Jimoh Bashir (SWAN).
