Dalung seeks private sector investment in sports development

• Inspects sports facilities in Kano with foreign investors

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has called for an increased private sector investment in sports development.

The minister disclosed during a two-day work inspection of sporting facilities in Kano State accompanied by a team of foreign investors from the Czech Republic. The tour was a part of new government initiative aimed at attracting private sector investment in sports development in the country in order to create job opportunities for Nigerian teeming youths through sports.

Dalung inspected facilities at the Sport Institute of the Kano State University of Technology and the multi-purpose Kano State Sports complex.

Addressing the Management and Staff of the Kano State University of Technology at a dinner held in his honour, Dalung described as praiseworthy the establishment of the Sports Institute by the Kano State Government. He hoped that the Institute would play the kind of role a similar Institute in the University of Pretoria South Africa do in the development and training of coaches, referees and other professionals in sports development.

The Minister inspected facilities at the Kano State Sport Institute, including the administrative blocks, lecture theatres, indoor game halls, facilities for kinetics, physiotherapy, medicals and other outdoor games like football field, swimming pool, gyms and sporting courts for basketball, long tennis, volleyball etc.

He also led the foreign partners to the Kano State Sports Complex reputed to be the biggest in the country. Apart from scores of facilities for table tennis, judo, weightlifting, athletics, basketball and lawn tennis, among others, the complex also boast 14 football training pitches catering for over 104 football clubs.

Addressing journalists at end of the inspection, Dalung commended the state government for its massive investment in sports, adding, however, that more still needed to be done in upgrading the facilities.