NSC to reintroduce school sports in Nigeria

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, has called on corporate and private organisations to collaborate with the Commission as it works toward reintroducing school sports to achieve grassroots sports development in the country.

Dikko disclosed this while receiving Prince Ezelekhae Ewuare of the Edo Kingdom during a courtesy call.

He stressed the importance of public involvement in sports development, especially at the grassroots level, to curb youth restiveness and other societal vices. This, he noted, is crucial during this period of efforts to overcome the nation’s security challenges.

Dikko stated: “Reintroduction of school sports is one of the plans of the Commission to encourage youths to engage meaningfully in sporting activities while simultaneously advancing their educational careers.”

In a statement, the NSC Director of Information and Public Relations, Mrs Kehinde Ajayi, noted that many youths are not engaged and lack aspirations, leading to frustration.

Dikko commended Prince Ezelekhae for his initiative to collaborate with the Commission on grassroots sports projects. He highlighted the potential impact of such efforts, saying, “If more people replicate what the Prince is doing across the country, many youths will have a brighter future, and societal vices will diminish.
“If youths have access to platforms like gymnasiums or sports centres, they can engage in meaningful activities, pursue careers, and achieve their ambitions. This will significantly reduce the number of youths on the streets.
“We will promote initiatives like yours as much as possible to inspire like-minded individuals to join efforts in creating a framework and platform for youths to realize their sporting ambitions.”

Earlier, Prince Ezelekhae briefed the Chairman on his grassroots sports development project, which aims to encourage youths to engage in sports, keeping them occupied and off the streets.

The Prince revealed that he has established about seven gymnasiums where sportsmen and women train and urged the Commission to collaborate with him to expand the initiative to accommodate more sporting activities.