Dele Edokpayi, the Edo State Athletics Association Board Chairman, has advised state governments and coaches to always follow up on training and sponsorship efforts with young athletes, so as to return Nigeria to its pride of place as a leader in sports on the continent.
Edokpayi spoke in Benin, the Edo State capital at the close of the World Athletics Championship Trials in Benin, the Edo State capital at the weekend.
He thanked the athletes and officials for honoring the invite. Dele expressed his passion and interest for the younger athletes who participated and didn’t win any laurels; he urged coaches and officials to bring them closer, give them hope and make them great again. He also praised the Yusuf Alli-led sports commission’s administration for sustaining Governor Obaseki’s vision for the Edo State’s Sports Commission.
Edokpayi spoke at a dinner to mark the close of the event.
In attendance were dignitaries including Olympian Yusuf Alli, the Chairman of Edo State Sports Commission; Chairman Edo State Athletics Association Board; Barr. Orode Moses Oyiki, a board member of Edo State Athletics Association; Rita Mosindi, AFN Secretary General; Olympian Ese Brume, a professional long jumper; Commodore Omatseye Nesiama (Rtd.), AFN board member, Mr. Victor Okorie, AFN board member; Nigeria Association of Athletics Technical Officials (NAATO) members, National anti-doping agents, among others.
“Myself and my board members are saying thank you for the good job you are doing, thank you to the participants, thank you to the people who made the facilities possible, thank you to the Federation people who have been able to put this together, thank you to the Edo State Sports Commission who created the space.
“We have had Chairman here. I have been around for many many years, I have been Chairman of the Association for more than 11 to 20 years, yes in this Stadium. I used to jog and do everything. Most people know me here. But never has it been so organised. The structure was put in place legally, and we put a square peg in a square hole. So why would we not support him,” Edopkayi said.
Commending the Edo state Government on the huge investment so far expended on facilities and equipment for the revamping of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, he stressed the need to complement Godwin Obaseki’s developmental efforts by taking athletics to the next level and encouraging private investment in the sports industry.
“We (Edo State) have set the pace in sporting activities. The Governor started by revamping the facilities to make it conducive for all of us. The digital Deputy Governor who is a sports person, who lives and dreams sports, has also been positive to restructure everything about sports in Edo State.
“We are private people, we are not government officials, but as the Chairman of the Edo Athletics Association, I gave my word to the Governor that we are going to take athletics to a different level.
“When we have athletics feats, we have to take athletics feats to a different level by making private investments like it is done outside. There is nothing that is happening in Europe and America that we can not do here. And by the grace of God, we will do it right.
“We want to take sports to what it used to be in Edo State and in Nigeria. It’s an industry and we don’t want our industry to die. Those of us who have passion that is why we are going to put our money, our energy to make athletics one of the great events in this country.
“Governments don’t have all the resources, sport is a private sector driven initiative elsewhere, that is what we want to do. We want to take it away from Government and make and take it to the next level,” he emphasized.
Edokpayi further said that the private sector involvement in grassroots sport development in the state is to assist government divert our unemployed youths’ energy to productive venture.
The chairman who was excited with the legal frame work establishing the state’s sports commission however maintained that with the law in place, no government will come tomorrow to take us back to where we are coming from when sport was in the hands of government officials.
According to Edokpayi, “Government saw the benefit of sports that is why it revamped the dreams of our forebears like the late Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia and others.
“Private organisations are now coming in because the government has lead the way by investing heavily in facilities at the stadium and all what we need to do as citizens is to assist now that we have a throw back to what it used to be in the past.”
“We believe, sport is an industry that would enable government divert the energy of our youths in the community to productive ventures,” he said.
