By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano
The immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has advocated economic diversification through substantial and meaningful investment in the sports sector and the promotion of sporting activities, particularly at the grassroots level.
The former governor of Kano State called on the public and private sectors, including business operators, to embark on massive investments in grassroots sports development programmes as a tool to empower Nigerian youths and diversify the economy.
Ganduje, who is the Grand Patron of Gandujiyya Babes FC, said the development of young athletes, the provision of adequate and quality sports infrastructure, and major sponsorship of grassroots sporting events are among the key approaches through which Nigeria’s human and capital development agenda can be further achieved.
Speaking when he received players and officials of the Nationwide League One (NLO) side, Gandujiyya Babes, who paid him a courtesy visit, Ganduje thanked the management of the club for their persistence and consistency in running its affairs over the past decade since its inception.
He decried the austerity that has recently trailed the disbursement of support funds to amateur football clubs in Kano, reassuring NLO clubs in the state that, with the latest political realignments, they would witness a new regime in terms of monetary and moral support for clubs affiliated with the NLO Kano Forum.
He lamented that since he left office as executive governor of the state, the forum had been deprived of the annual support funds and intervention funding that were previously disbursed to clubs to enable them carry on their activities without disruptions to their calendar.
Ganduje admitted that he is aware of the constraints presently confronting NLO clubs domiciled in the state. He stated that with the new political understanding that has brought him and the incumbent Kano State governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, together, he would intervene to ensure that the situation is reversed. This, he said, would help breathe new life into the activities of NLO football clubs operating in the state.
He then appealed to operators in the public and private sectors of the economy to invest more in grassroots sports promotion and development programmes.
He pointed out that the global sports sector is one of the fastest-growing industries, noting that in Kano and Nigeria at large, the grassroots sports sector deserves massive commercial and social investments in tandem with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He added that during his tenure as executive governor of the state, huge resources were invested in the sector to help Kano youths pursue and realise their sporting aspirations. He expressed confidence in the commitment and vigour of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to pursue projects that will positively impact the lives of Kano youths, assuring that better days lie ahead for grassroots sports activities in the state.
The Chairman of Gandujiyya Babes FC, Ibrahim Usman Arzai, applauded the former governor for his support for the club since its creation 10 years ago. He also acknowledged Ganduje’s close confidant, Comrade Mohammed Garba, who has always provided solid support for the club by rendering financial assistance during difficult times.
He said the club was created to recruit youths from all the 44 local government areas of the state with the aim of empowering them. He also disclosed plans for the club to embark on an awareness tour of the 44 local government areas to sensitise youths on the new sports agenda of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
He further revealed that hundreds of Kano youths have benefited from development initiatives implemented under the aegis of Gandujiyya Babes FC.
Arzai then presented the newly recruited head coach of the club, Muhammad Inuwa Baba, to the Grand Patron.
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