In a letter addressed to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, dated May 4, 2020, copied to the Secretary to the Federal Government and the Sports Minister, an Ibadan-based frontline sports enthusiast, Mr Michael Sodeke has revealed that the vital status of sports in the country had been downgraded, describing it as a grave injustice to the corporate comfort of Nigeria at this uncertain time lamenting the neglect of the sports sector in the Federal Government’s effort at combating the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
Sodeke, who recalled that about N3 billion was invested in the Nollywood industry in 2013 by the Goodluck Jonathan administration, contended that the fund helped to turn around the entertainment industry as a key sector of the economy, “Nollywood now competes well in the African market as a result and a few exceptional artistes have taken their talent to the global level.
“The Central Bank or the government cannot be talking about diversifying from oil and continue to neglect the sports sector that has a huge capacity to resuscitate the health, power and road sectors, as well as empower millions of people with jobs. I am particularly concerned that the $2.7billion stimulus released by the Central Bank to aid the agriculture, oil, banking and the IT sectors in view of the prevailing COVID-19 still excluded the sports sector and this makes me wonder the country continues to treat sports with levity,” he added.
