The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Sports, states and local governments to invest in other sporting activities than football.
The Head of Administration, NCC, Mr. Kehinde Oladipo also stated that though it is important to continue to grow football in the country, other sports should also be developed.
He spoke on Sunday during the NCC national tennis competition in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
He stated that the first price winners of the competition would receive N7m; second price, N5m and third price N3m. He urged youths to maximise the opportunity, adding that sports could engage and remove them from the streets.
Oladipo said, “The objective of this competition is to empower the youths. One of the ways to remove the youths from the streets is to empower them. NCC feels that it should do something that will be unique which will take our youths off the streets. We should give them something they are passionate about and the competition is going to take tennis itself to the next level.”
“I am not satisfied with attention paid to tennis and other sports than football in the country. It is like Nigeria is a nation of football, all other games are relegated to the background and this is why NCC feels that it should contribute something no matter how small. So, we have picked tennis as one of the sports we want to sponsor to improve its quality.
He added, “To be frank, tennis and sporting activities are veritable tools to enhance health generally. We all believe that a nation that has a healthy workforce will move to a high level. It is highly recommended to government and non-government organisations to invest in sports. This will not only boost social and economic activities, but health, which is very critical for our being.”
