What if Lagos buys Delta State idea to ban schools without sporting facilities?
Relying on a new drive to save the growing level of schools sports extinction across the federation, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has ordered that henceforth, any school in the State without sporting facilities will be closed down indefinitely.
However, sports analysts in Lagos have equally called on the Lagos State government to think along the lines of the Okowa’s executive order to save the same situation even in Lagos.
But a section of private school operators who were approached on the matter said, if that is done there will be serious crisis as over 80 per cent of private schools including nursery, primary and secondary schools in Lagos has not even enough class rooms not to talk about sports ground.
They averred that should Lagos State government issue similar order, many children will be out of school because private school operators do not have the intent to buy more space for sports ground and if they must expand, it will be for more class rooms.
Business Hilights recalls that over the weekend while speaking in Oleh, Isoko North local council during the finals of Delta State’s Principal’s Cup sponsored by Zenith Bank, Governor Okowa expressed his administration’s desire to revive schools sports which had served as the production house for former veteran sportsmen and women in Nigeria.
It would be recalled that several serving and retired big names in the country’s football were products of school sports including President of Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Mr. Amaju Pinnick, former Super Eagles’ captain, Henry Nwosu, Victor Ikpeba, Victor Agali, Edema Fuludu, Ndubuisi Okosieme and Ifeanyi Udeze amongst numerous others.
According to Okowa, this can only be achieved when schools both public and private are compelled to take sports education seriously.
The Governor “I believe we will continue in this stead so that the energy of our youths will be used for gainful ventures”.
“Any school that is applying as a new secondary school must have sports facilities, without that there will be no registration. We have seen some schools tucked into a little space without consideration for sports facilities.”
Earlier in his remarks on the sports sponsorship, Mr. Lucky Bade, who stood in for the Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Peter Amangbo, congratulated winners and assured that the bank will sponsor the event annually.
