The Kaduna State Ministry of Sports Development has dissolved the leadership of the state’s 36 sports associations to pave way for fresh elections and democratisation of the bodies.
The Commissioner of Sports Development, Professor Kabir Mato, said the democratisation of the sports associations by conducting elections into their executive committees would be in tandem with best international practice.
He said this was as the ministry was moving toward reinvigorating sports activities in the state post-COVID-19 pandemic.
Mato, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Malam Ismaila Lere, said this during a meeting with the state sports association chairmen in his office on Friday.
He said that the ministry would work closely with the new leadership of the 36 sports associations to take sports in Kaduna State to greater heights.
“From my little experience in the ministry over a year ago, what I have found was that some sports associations are up and doing, while others are not living up to expectations.
“My interpretation of the concept of associations has to do with the fact that globally there’s this agitation that sports should be democratised and it should be in the hands of people instead of government dictating the tune all the time.
“The idea to bring about elections in sports associations is imperative and necessary if we have to develop the various sports so as to be able to secure the necessary skills that are needed in order to take sports to the next level,” he said.
“The objective of this government is to bring back the glory of sports as we used to have in Kaduna State.
“After a long while for one reason or the other bordering on neglect and situation of time, the attention that the sports sector used to enjoy has been disrupted.
”He explained that the government created the Ministry of Sports Development specifically to play the role of making sports an avenue of building the skills of the youth and building human capital, for leisure, as well as an economic enterprise.
“I do believe sincerely that we are likely not going to succeed if we keep behaving in a bureaucratic way without pulling resources together and working closely with the sports associations to achieve these desired objectives.
“Let me announce that as a government, we are prepared to provide the enabling environment and infrastructure so that every sport will develop and possibly reach whatever peak that it so desires,” he said.
Mato also restated that government did not have the resources to fund every bit of activity, saying that was the reason for having sports associations.
He, however, vowed that the government would provide the platform with the little resources in its possession to assist the associations. (NAN)
