Former board member of Nigeria Traditional Sports Federation, Alhaji Inuwa Isah said Bauchi state has begun the revival of Langa which was one of the fastest growing sports in Nigeria.
Alhaji Isah stated this during the ongoing Bauchi State Sports Festival in Bauchi on Saturday.
He said the introduction of Langa in the state sports festival will help discover more players ahead of upcoming National Championships and reshape the mentality of younger athletes.
The Member of Nigeria Traditional Sports Federation (Technical Committee) revealed that stakeholders are in touch on means of reintroducing the sport back to the National Sports Festival.
He said, “Langa used to be one of the most famous traditional sports in Nigeria but I cannot say the same today. Langa was missing from the 2022 National Sports Festival in Delta state which was worrisome to stakeholders. Ayo, Dambe and Kokowa made it to the NSF after public outcry by traditional sports lovers but Langa suffered causality.
“The Bauchi State Sports Festival has produced an avenue for over 800 athletes from the 20 Local Governments Area in Bauchi to participate in the Langa event. This will help revive and rekindle the love of the game.
“Major stakeholders are rallying round to ensure the game does not die a natural death and very soon, we will be having a series of National Championships. In the next elections, we are going to elect individuals who have passion for the sport, and not those who will render the federation dormant.
“After securing sponsors, our target will be to return Langa back to the National Sports Festival which will be followed by the founding fathers. We cannot be participating in European, Asian and American sports while neglecting our indigenous sports.
“I am calling on the Federal Ministry of Sports Development to include all tradition sports into the National Sports Festival and find a way of including them into the African Games”, he added.
