NAN-S-4
Equipment
By Yetunde Fatungase
Abeokuta, Dec. 13, 2016 (NAN) No fewer than 50 public primary schools in Ogun State have received sports equipment donated by the National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that that the equipment covers nine major sports – Football, Volleyball, Handball, Table-tennis, Basketball, Judo, Athletics, Badminton and Taekwando.
Speaking at the presentation on Tuesday in Abeokuta, Alhaji Habu Gumel, the Executive Secretary of NLTF, said that the intervention was to enhance the involvement of primary school children in sporting activities.
He said that equipping the schools with quality sports equipment was a clear demonstration of government’s desire to foster inclusion of school children in sports development.
“We are confident this intervention programme will lead to the discovery of new talents in sports that abound in our communities and rural areas, and also assist in physical and professional development,’’ Gumel said.
The secretary urged beneficiaries to put the equipment to good use and ensure their proper maintenance.
“We have alerted security agencies to apprehend any culprit who diverts these Federal Government intervention materials,” he said.
The secretary commended Chief Kessington Adebutu of Premier Lotto for always supporting the Fund, adding that 80 per cent of revenue generated comes from him.
He urged other lottery operators and licensees to keep their obligation of remitting 20 per cent proceeds to the Trust Fund.
Ogun Commissioner for Education, Mrs Modupe Mujota, said the intervention was an investment “in a faceless future” that would bring about sports development.
She reiterated the need for sports to be part of the school curriculum, adding that school sports contributed immensely to the well being and healthy living of students.
In his remarks, Mr Afolabi Afuape, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, urged well-meaning Nigerians and private investors to invest in sports development in the state.
Afuape promised optimal usage of the equipment and asked the Trust Fund to extend the gesture to secondary schools in the state.
It will be recalled that the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, officially flagged off the distribution of sports equipment to 2000 public primary schools in May. (NAN)
YAF/AOS/SOA
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Edited by Bayo Sekoni/Oluwole Sogunle