Governor of Oyo state, H. E. Seyi Makinde has declared that the state government will continue to encourage sports development at the grassroots. He revealed this while hosting the state's althletes and coaches at the just concluded National Sports Festival (NSF), Edo 2021, at the Executive Council Chamber, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, stating that his administration has been committing funds to upgrade sports facilities as a way of enhancing development. This was disclosed in a statement by Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, saying that the governor had pledged to reward each athletes based on the medal they won and reward the coach as well. Governor Makinde said, “I will make some pronouncements now and it has to be done within the next two weeks. For each gold medal, we will pay N500,000. For each silver medal, we will give N350,000 and for each bronze medal, we will give N250,000. For the coaches, irrespective of the medal won, we will give each coach, N500,000. "To our only gold medalist, who competed in the shotput and discus because we want to encourage athletes in that category, so, we will give N1 million extra to him. Also, we will give the para-power lifting athlete an additional N1 million. “I want to say congratulations to our medalists. This government has been committing a lot of resources towards sports development in Oyo State, and this is aside the Lekan Salami and Olubadan Stadia that are undergoing serious upgrades right now. The same type of track where Hussain Bolt made history is the same one that is being installed at Lekan Salami Stadium. So, in the years to come, I believe we will also produce our own world record holders in Oyo State. “I am glad with the result and I want to commend the athletes and coaches for making Oyo State proud and for a job well done. This government will continue to encourage sports development even at the grassroots level.” He stressed that the state is upgrading it's sports facilities because it wants to start seeing the results from such investment in the next sports festival, which is scheduled to take place next year. He also urged the althletes and coaches to stay if they are being approached by other states, stating that Oyo state will provide the required atmosphere for them to excel. While congratulating the althletes and coaches on a job well done, He stressed that his administration will continue to support them even in the most limited of resources and in their process of growth. He said, "When we came in, we saw the file on athletes; the medalists at the 2018 event. People can make promises and not keep them. But without mincing words, we met several promises and we had to investigate why those promises were not fulfilled but we found out that there was no intention from the initial point to fulfill the promises. “If I promise you that I want to do something, I should start from the request, the first approval, more work, next approval, and the final approval. Unfortunately, none of that was done when we came in. But we picked it up and within the limited resources that were available to us, we fulfilled at least a percentage of those promises. And I believe even for this particular event, we encouraged the Oyo State Sports Council to give something to the medalists instantly as soon as they confirmed winning a medal. "I have listened to the requests put forward and we will look at it. One assurance that I can give to you is that Oyo State will continue to encourage its own athletes to even do more. I have set a target of at least 100 gold medals for the next Sports Festival and everything that will aid in realising that vision, we will put in place. "So, on behalf of the government and the good people of Oyo State, we want to congratulate you for making us proud and we want to wish you all the best in your career and future competition. We are here to support you." Earlier, Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Seun Fakorede said that the huge success was driven by the commitment of the governor which he displayed first in 2020 when he paid the cash reward to the 2018 National Sports Festival medalists, which was promised by last administration but wasn't fulfilled. He said such step set the tone for the beautiful performance in the Edo 2020 event. "Sports, being a veritable tool in harnessing the energies of our young ones towards a worthy venture, and thus, arresting their attention from social vices that bedevil them at this stage of their lives. Therefore, we commend the effort of His Excellency for deeming it fit to give the youth and all sports stakeholders an enabling environment to express themselves and showcase their talents," he added. Furthermore, Representative of the athletes, Babalola Mumini appreciated Governor Makinde for the support given to them during the tournament. He requested for employment opportunities for the athletes and officials who performed well, while also soliciting for the timely approval and prompt release of funds to facilitate efficient preparation for festivals and other championships. He said, "The past government promised us some things and when you came in, you put a smile on our faces and fulfilled 50 per cent of the promises they made to us. “We know the outcome of getting a medal at the end of the day. This is one of the best resources so far since 1974. Last year, we got 16 gold but this year, we got 31 golds, 30 Silver, and 42 Bronze. So, we are pleading and we want you to look into it to prepare us for the next editions.”
Post a Comment