No matter
the vocation you choose to do, no matter the kind of discipline you
posses and the kind of legal means you choose to earn a living, it
cannot go unnoticed for eternity. Surely, it may be rewarded sooner than
expected!
In whatever you do, do it with passion, zeal and total
commitment to get attention and recognised beyond your immediate
environment. Once you are reckoned with, whatever you do could not go
unnoticed. Hence, it cannot go unrewarded.
Just recently, luck
enveloped the trio of Abolaji Omotayo, Peka Victor and Adeyemi Sikiru,
who all won gold Medals for Nigeria at the Commonwealth Youth Athletics
Games in Samoa and African Junior Championship in Ethiopia when they
were received by the Governor of Kwara State, Alh. Abdulfatah Ahmed at
the Government House, Ilorin.
 |
| (L-R): Abolaji Omotayo, Gov Abdulfatah Ahmed, Peka Victor and Adeyemi Sikiru |
Interestingly, the young lads who
are from Kwara State Athletics Association had featured in several
international championships for Nigeria ranging from African Youth
Championship in Mauritius, 2014 African Youth Championship in Ghana,
2015 African Junior Championship in Addis Ababa, 2014 World Junior
Championship in USA to 2015 Commonwealth Games in Samoa.
These
athletes who know their onus on the tracks had won medals in 100m, 4 x
100m relay, 4 x 400m, 200m and 400m race by carrying Nigerian flag to
international championships through the National Sports Commission and
made the country proud. Who says Usain Bolt of this world cannot be
discovered in Kwara State?
In fact, during the good old days, Kwara State could boost of the likes of
Olapade Adenekan, Bisi Afolabi,
Halimat
Yusuf, Kehinde Aladefa, Omotayo Akinremi, Toyin Durotoye, Kuranga,
Kayode Afolabi and Tunju Moronfoye (Ex-commissioner for Information
& Communications)
who were all fantastic athletes of repute in
the track and field events. In those days, Kwara was a centre of
excellence in Nigeria, because they all brought glory to the state and
Nigeria at large by winning medals at the nation's annual fiesta
National Sports Festivals and other champions outside the shores of
Nigeria.
With the likes of Abolaji Omotayo, Peker Victor and
Adeyemi Sikiru, hope is not lost. In fact, there abound several talents
in the track and field events and other sporting events across the
length and breadth of Kwara State that are yet to be discovered while
those discovered have not been exploited to make them realise their full
potentials in life. To say the least, many died with their dreams as a
result of lack of support and encouragement from immediate families,
communities, corporate organisations and governments.
Rejoicing
with the state over the success of the athletes, the Director-General,
National Sports Commission, Mallam Al-Hassan Yakmut who was in the state
for the University of Ilorin Marathon had a tete-a-tete with Governor
Abdulfatah Ahmed in at the Government House, Ilorin where he commended
the state government for its interventions in sports sector which led to
the success of four athletes from Kwara at the Commonwealth Youths
Games in Samoa.
"I came purposely to appreciate what you have
done. There was something unique that happened at the Commonweath Youth
Games between September 2nd and 13th, 2015 in Samoa. Four out of the 11
athletes that participated in the competition are from Kwara State and
all the four athletes won medals.
"And the category of the medals
symbolised the position of Kwara State in sports, they were mostly gold
medals. So your excellency, you are a golden Governor.
"In
order to tap on this luck, we have engaged the University of Ilorin and
the Vice Chancellor, Prof. AbdulGaniy Ambali has accepted that the new
dimension to Youth Games which has made the National Youths Games a
University based activity has been approved by the Vice Chancellor and
the 2016 and 2017 editions of the National Youths Games will be hosted
by the University.
"We did observed that we need some
complementary facilities from the state in order to support the
University. Because, the University does not has Swimming Pool, and its
indoor sport hall lack facilities.
"So, we want to take this
opportunity to request your excellency to do help us to include in your
budget, the renovation of the Indoor Sports Hall, where I as a National
athlete was camped in 1985 for 36 good days before we went for an
international competition. I still remember my bunk bed in the hostel
here, your excellency.
The Director General did not hesitate to say that the
Kwara Football Academy is the best so far in the country and the most
organised and the oldest has occupied two blocks of the hostel and
appealed that another set of two blocks that have 33 rooms and four beds
each will be an opportunity for the Commission to have accommodation
for resident athletes that are up to 244 without paying money for any
accommodation, if renovated.
Mallam Yakmut's statements left no one in doubt about the past records of
Kwara
in sporting activities and the current successes in the tract and field
event. But it is not yet uhuru as talents abound in different parts of
the state waiting to be tapped and exploited and do the state, Nigeria
and African continent proud in championships.
Realising this,
Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed received the athletes whose commitments earned
them medals in continental and global championships in his office at
the Government House, Ilorin. Governor Ahmed at the occasion promised to
ensure increased sporting competitions with prizes at school levels to
inculcate in youth, the sense of discipline and commitment.
Governor
Ahmed who described Sports as engagements to inculcate sense of
additional managerial skill on youth promised to encourage athletes in
the state in building careers in sports and in pursuit of their
education.
"Importance of sport to any society can never be over
emphasised. So, sport is capable of not only serve of exercise but
inculcate sense of management of activities on youths as they grow."
He
expressed delight over the successes of the athletes in various
championships and urged other athletes to exploit capacity to becoming
state, national and international championships.
The Governor
assured the Athletics Association and Sports Council of total support of
his government to encourage current and potential athletes to win
laurels for the state.
Governor Ahmed also promised to put the
Indoor Sports Hall and other pitches like Basketball court, volleyball
court at the State Stadium Complex to meet International standard.
"As
government we intend to embark on comprehensive renovation of the
indoor sport hall of the Kwara state stadium with some other pitches
like volleyball, lawn tennis, badminton, basketball among others.
"Lack
of boarding system in our schools has contributed negatively in no
small measure to the development of sport and we are not going to rest
in our oars in restoring body system in our schools."
The
Chairman, Kwara State Amateur Athletics Association, Alhaji Tunde
AbdulKareem who led the athletes had in his remarks praised the
government for its efforts at restoring the lost glory in sports. Alhaji
AbdulKareem told the governor that the Athletes had done the state
proud by wining gold medals at African Junior Championship, Commonwealth
Youth Games among other competitions outside the shores of Nigeria.
To
demonstrate his encouragement, satisfaction and happiness to the
performance of the athletes and the Athletics Association, Governor
Ahmed granted immediate approval to all the requests made the Chairman,
Athletics Association who was a one time Accountant-General of Kwara
State. Some of the request granted include support for academic pursuit
of the three athletes.
Governor Ahmed who was in 2013 honoured
by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) for his support to education
sector realises the nexus between quality education and successful
athletes did not hesitate to direct the Chief of Staff, Government
House, Alh. Abdulwahab Babatunde to collect the academic papers of the
athletes who have all applied into the University of Ilorin for
2015/2016 academic session with a view to making them secure admission
in the state, as a mark of honour and reward as well as platform to
making them continue to represent the state in subsequent championships.
Additionally, the Sports loving Governor announced the donation
of N250,000 each to the athletes and a handsome amount to the Coach of
the athletes, Abiodun Adeyemi with a promise to enrol the handler at the
National Sports Institute, Lagos to make him a certified Coach. This is
equally an honour to the Coach which will ultimately spur other coaches
to give best training and tactics to the athletes to enable them excel
in championships.
This and similar efforts will encourage
athletes to show more commitment to the state and discourage athletes
resident in Kwara from representing other states of the federation in
national and international championships. No doubt, the reward is an
indication that whoever brings an honour to Kwara State will be
acknowledged.
Thus, rewarding the deserving athletes without
delay will continue to serve as impetus for them to go extra mile in
winning laurels for the state. In fact, acknowledgement alone without
monetary benefit atimes is a moral booster. This could be done by
government and non governmental officials to spur them to do more for
the state and Nigeria as a whole.
It is therefore imperative to
state that investment in sport is huge and only government cannot
shoulder it. Hence, communities, wealthy individuals and corporate
organisations should investment more in sporting activities as business
ventures and means of engaging the youths in productive engagements.
Bye
and large, all and sundries must encourage athletes to remain focus on
their unique abilities and interests on particular aspect of sports with
comparative advantage in order to continue to put Kwara on global map
and return the state to its glorious past in sports. Efforts must not
also be spared to sustain and improve the culture of discovering new
talents and in track and field events to become world beaters while
athletes in other sporting events must all times be encouraged to do the
state proud.
