Governor Sani Bello of Niger State

The Niger chapter of the Wheelchair Tennis Association has urged the state government to provide wheelchairs to its members to enable them compete favourably with their counterparts across the country.

Mallam Ahmed Mukhtar, its captain, made the appeal on Tuesday, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna.

“We are physically challenged and play our game on the wheelchair.

“We have one old wheelchair for the four of us and train turn by turn; we need one wheelchair per athlete for the training, ’’ he said.

Mukhtar said that the association in the state was made up of three males and a female.

He said that if government provided wheelchairs, it would enable them put in their best in training so as to give good account of themselves during competitions.

Reacting in another interview, Mallam Mamman Musa, the Commissioner for Youth Affairs and Sports Development, said that the ministry was not aware of the challenges faced by the athletes.

“The ministry is not aware that the association lacks wheelchairs to train; now that we we know, we shall strive to provide the wheelchairs.

“I promise you that we will look into it and quickly provide them with wheelchairs because our wheelchair tennis association has been living up to expectation,’’ he said.

(NAN)