BENIN CITY: Edo State Governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki disclosed his administration will set a technical committee that will help domesticate sports policies in the state that will take the state through the next decades.
He made the disclosure while delivering his closing remark at a 2-day workshop in sports with the theme “Repositioning Sports In Edo State” held in Benin City the Edo State Capital.
Obaseki said the team is going to be a strategic committee that will help the state government design and domesticate the sport policies to take us to the next level. He said the team will play an advisory role to ensure that the outcome of the workshop is implemented fully to ensure that sports in the state regain its pride of place in the country.
“The committee will advise me on how to design structures, who to hire to do what in sports, how to set goals, target, reward, incentives and repercussions when we do not met our target”.
He said in fulfilling his electioneering promises, his administration will go round every local government areas in the state to identify properties most likely in schools that has enough grounds where we can immediately begin to build mini-stadium to train sports men
Obaseki assured the participant at the workshop that within the next three months his administration will upgrade the swimming pool at the Ogbe stadium to produce swimming champions for not only Edo State but for the nation at large.
“I want to assure you today that within the next three months we are going to upgrade our swimming pool at Ogbe Stadium and aggressively train our swimmers who will become champions in not only Edo State but also Nigeria at large. We can also have a relationship with the international cycling federation to enable us partner and have another international cycling tour in Edo State”.
He said his administration will strategically create a structure for sports so that only qualified people who understand sports and the various aspects will be given responsibility to manage sports in the state.
Obaseki stressed the readiness of his administration to use the political will to implement the outcome of the workshop to ensure that the state regain its pride of place in the nation and will become once again the envy of other state in the nation.
He said in moving sports to the next level in the state, the place of technology should not be taken for granted as it plays a key role in moving sports to the next level in the state.
“I don’t know the role of technology in sports but one thing I know is that technology has changed the role of our sports. Looking at the participant here today, I am tempted to ask how many of us can use technology in sports ?”.
A participant and the chairperson of Nigerian Women Football League Aisha Falode commended the fore sight of Edo State government in organizing a workshop of this magnitude expressing delight that the move will certainly reposition sports in the state.
“We know how Edo was before now, everybody wants Edo to return back to its pride of place in sports in the nation and this move will sure take the state there”.
Former Supper Eagle Coach Austin Eguavon commended the initiative of Edo State Government to the development of sports in the state calling on the government of Obaseki to separate politics from sports as it has been the problems of sports in the nation.
“Sports should be separated from politics as it has caused us a lot of backwardness in sports but when separated it will certainly thrive”.
