Ex-International, Dr Felix Owolabi, on Thursday said there would be rapid development in the sports sector if the nation returned to the era of organising schools sports.
He spoke in Ibadan at an annual lecture and award ceremony organised by the Organisation for Grassroots Sports Development (OGSD).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that seven people were also given awards for their contributions to sports development at the forum.
Among them were Owolabi as well as an editor with NAN and the Vice President (South West) of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Mr Adeboye Ajayi.
Also on the honours list were respected politician, Chief Abiola Ogundokun, Chief Wuraola Adepoju, Mrs Bola Alidade, and popular musician, Alhaji Taiwo Adebisi, popularly known as `Taye Currency.’
Owolabi, in his lecture entitled, “Yoruba Nation and its Quest for Grassroots Sports Development,’’ said that the nation’s sports sector had suffered a lot from absence of a sports blueprint.
He said that many sports councils hold competitions without programmes for sports development.
“Today, we have Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC), Remo Stars and Sunshine Stars from the South West occupying the lower rung of the ladder in the nation’s premier league championship.
“This is nothing but the fault of state governments,’’ he said.
Owolabi stated there was a provision in the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Vision 2020 which stated that schools must develop children in education and sports side by side.
He said that most of the schools had jettisoned this, adding that only a return to schools sports would promote the desired development in the sports sector.
The ex-international stated that the existence of teachers training colleges and schools accounted for the large number of talents discovered.
Owolabi said that the South- West Zone could only return to its former glorious days of sports development if they revived schools sports.
“The schools sports system is where the budding talents were being caught young, nursed and nurtured to stardom,’’ he added.
Earlier, Mr Raji Oladimeji, the President and Chief Executive Officer of OGSD, said that the programme was aimed at reviving the dwindling fortunes of sports in the zone.
Oladimeji noted that the awards were distributed across professional divides, adding that the awardees had contributed immensely to the development of sports.
(NAN)
TAA/AAB/OJO
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