The Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq on Saturday said his
administration will be all encompassing by engaging stakeholders in
the sporting industry via sports summit so as to bring about
developments in the sector.
The Governor stated this at the just concluded Coaching Clinic for
Squash Racket coaches in Nigeria held at the Squash Court of the Kwara
Stadium Complex, Ilorin.
Abdulrahman used the forum to challenged stakeholders in the sports
industry to chart a new course for sports development in the state.
The Governor who was special Guest at the event added that his
administration will definitely throw the challenges in the sports
industry to all the sport association in the state because his style
of governance will be people’s opinion oriented.
“If it is funding or having a sports commission to eliminate
bureaucracy which hitherto has impeded the progress, you will have to
feed us with the best way to go”.
However, the governor and his entourage trecked from the squash court
to monitor the training of Gidado Football Club at the Kwara Football
Academy pitches shortly after the Squash event.
Also speaking, the National President, Nigeria Squash Federation, Boye
Oyerinde said the Federation brought the training programme to the
state in recognition of the place of Kwara in the game of Squash in
Nigeria.
Oyerinde noted that Nigeria is rated third in Africa while Egypt
remains the number one in the world, urging the governor to revive
Squash in the state.
The Director of Sports, Kwara State Sports Council, Coach Tunde Kazeem
informed the Governor that the state had produced a lot of champions
in various sporting activities for Nigeria, particularly in Squash,
Badminton, Basketball and Table Tennis.
He appealed to Governor Abdulrazaq to build four Olympic sized Squash
courts and renovate the Indoor Sports Hall to enable the state regain
its lost glory in sports.
Coach Kazeem commended the facilitators of the programme, Coach Bola
Magaji and Prof. Tayo Talabi for thier role in promoting Squash in the
state and Nigeria as a whole.
