The Speaker of the Nigeria House of Representative, Rt. Honourable Tajudeen Abbas is really not comfortable with the relatively low budget of sports in Nigeria declaring that sports deserved a much improved budget so as to enable them meet up with their numerous task.
This much was said by the Speaker’s special adviser on youths and sports, Honourable Magaji Alhassan while in a chart with our correspondent in Abuja recently. He noted further that the Speaker is really looking into the issue with a view to seeing how the budget of sports can be improved upon.
“Definitely he is really considering that and he is looking into that, because quite alright, if you look at previous years sports has been under funded. So, I am sure he is looking at every area where within his power where sports can be given a maximum support financially to ensure that we still maintain our status in the global word of sports,” he said.
Also, Honourable Magaji noted that apart from seeking for the improvement of sports budgets in Nigeria, he noted that the Speaker is also toying with the idea of investing in sports in the six geo-political zones of the country.
“The Rt. Honourable Speaker is the number four citizen in the country, so he is not just representing his constituency, he is also representing the entire country. So, we will look around the entire six zone to see how we can bring youth programs whereby we will facilitate and bring out young talent. That is what has really been phased out in this country, and it’s painful. And it is because of the none engagement of these youths is the reason you see a lot of them in drugs, crimes and all sort of evil criminality. I am sure when we set up the academies in the six geo-political zones where we will engage youths we will take them off the street and it will be for the betterment of this country. I am sure that with the vision of the Rt. Honourable Speaker, people will see the impact in the next couple of years,” he said
Hon. Magaji stressed that it is the Speakers love for Nigeria sports that informed why he was brought on board so as to assist in that regard.
“First of all I will be grateful to Almighty Allah for given me this opportunity, and to also appreciate thr Right Honourable Speaker, Dr Tajudeen Abbas for deeming it important for me to come around to support him in terms of youth development and in terms of Sports because he knows my background childhood to my adulthood. I have been in the business of Sports all through, facilitating the younger once. So, I see it as a great opportunity to see how we can move our youths forward.
The speaker is a very strong supporter of sports. He was on ground during the Nations Cup in Cote D’Ivoire to support the Super Eagles. As a matter of fact when you see him dressed in his sporting attire nobody will think he is the Speaker, you will think he is one of the Super Eagles players, because he looks very fit. More so, he is still active in playing tennis. He has been an excellent player of tennis right from childhood. He represented Kaduna state in 1979, the Oluyole Games. He has won gold medal for Kaduna state in tennis. So, he is a great man in sports and he has passion for it. I am sure he will do great in sports in this direction and also in other aspects too,” he concluded.
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