Stakeholders have been charged to encourage development of sports at the grassroots for sporting activities in Nigeria to be recognized at international level.
Chairman, Amos Ado Foundation, Amos Ado disclosed this in Ogbomoso while presenting a trophy to Osupa Primary Day School.
He emphasised that for sports to develop and reach the global stage, the development must start from the grassroots, where talents will be discovered at younger age and nurtured to the prominent.
“My mission is to encourage our youths to be involved in sporting activities and build career in it, because we have a lots of talents among our pupils and we need to discover and train them and go for competitions, it is a major way to engage our youths in the society and this does not affect their academic career.
“I appeal to other private organisations to support these pupils in sporting activities because that is the only way to go, if we need results in our sporting activities. There is a well laid out framework for sports in developed countries and that is why they are ahead of us.
“Basically, I am donating the trophy to the Osupa Primary Day School to kick start my plans in sports development because investment in this sector is another way of revenue generation and unity, because sports brings everyone together in unity,” Ado said.
Iyalode of Ogbomoso, Chief Mrs. Rebecca Oluwakemi Ogundare, who received the trophy on behalf of the school, expressed gratitude to Amos Ado Foundation team for bringing up the lofty idea to Ogbomoso.
She said that sports development in Ogbomoso is a long time dream of the Council of Chiefs of Oba Ghandi Olaoye, the Soun of Ogbomoso, saying that it is the only way to foster unity, develop skills and talents that will be valuable and be a good ambassador of city, state and the nation at large.
It will be recalled that grassroots sports development received a boost with the introduction of the sporting competition among Nigerian university students organised by the Nigerian Universities Games Association (NUGA). There was the introduction of the National Sports Festival during the Yakubu Gowon administration shortly after the Nigerian Civil War.
The Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON) also came into existence to add energy to the new enthusiasm in grassroots sports development that was sweeping across the land.
However, sports enthusiasts believe that sports development is what Amos Ado Foundation is bringing up, to develop talents and skills from the grassroots.
Amos Ado was accompanied by Mr. Sunday was welcomed by Iyalode of Ogbomoso, Chief Mrs. Rebecca Oluwakemi Ogundare, head teachers of the school and the pupils.
