The Kwara State Government has said that as part of its efforts to revolutionise sports and divert the attention and energy of the youths in the State to viable competitions and gainful activities, necessary arrangements have been made to kick off the 7th Kwara Sports Festival on the 5th of January, 2020.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sports and Youth Developnent, who is also the Chairman, Main Organising Committee on the festival, Alhaji AbdulQuadir Shuaib Akanbi, disclosed this today while addressing journalists during the inauguration of the Main Organising Committee (MOC) on the 7th Edition of Kwara State Sports Festival held at the Conference Room of the Ministry.
Akanbi credited to His Excellency, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the aggressive and stellar development the State has been witnessing since few months back, stating that it is the vehement pursance of Governor AbdulRazaq’s vision that is turning things around in the Sports and the other sectors, as premium is placed on sports as a tool for national unity and vessel for economic development.
He explained that it is against the backdrop of the vision that the new Administration’s focus on sports is grounded on the principle of “Community sports development strategy” enforced through the provision of standard sports facilities right from the grassroot.
While thanking the State Government for its passion for sports rejuvenation, the Permanent Secretary said that the last edition of this festival was held in 1984, bemoaning the ‘decay’ that had plagued the State in the meantime.
Alhaji Akanbi then enjoined members of the Main Organising Committee, coupled with the sub-committees ranging from Accreditation, Ceremonial, Technical, Accommodation and Venue, Media and Publicity, and Security, to work assiduously by way of ensuring that the State has a befitting, hitch-free and successful festival as scheduled.
He noted that the 2020 Kwara Sports Festival, which holds between 5th and 11th of January next year, will parade both male and female participants, who will be from different teams drawn from all the sixteen Local Government Areas in the State.
The sports fiesta, which will be used as a test-run to harness, identify and hunt for talents, that will later represent the State in the various athletic games nationally and internationally, will involve twenty-five activities like football, volley balk, handball, cricket, boxing, badminton, table tennis, wrestling, scrabble, ayo opan and others.
Earlier, the Director, Kwara State Sports Council, Couch Tunde Kazeem, enumerated touch-of-unity, hoisting of all the Local Government Areas’ flags (to indicate their attendance and readiness for participating in the championship) and other new activities that will be incorporated into the 7th Edition of the festival.
Couch Kazeem also appluaded the resolve of Governor AbdulRazaq to make Kwara a hub for sports, stating that sports can be used for revenue generation.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chairman of the Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Adio, charged the representatives of the sixteen LGAs to redouble their efforts in enlightening parents on the necessity to let their children embrace sports, justifying that numerous benefits are in sports.
Also in attendance were the Director, Personnel, Finance and Supply, Alhaja Afusat Afolabi, Director, Youth Development, Alhaja Aishat Mohammed, Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Alhaja Taibat Mustapha, Deputy-Director, Sports Development, Mallam Ibrahim Bako and others.
