Kwara State Government on Thursday said the ongoing massive investment in sports infrastructure in the state is to productively engage the youths and make the state a centre of attraction for national and international championships.
The Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor Rafiu Ajakaye stated this on Thursday when he paid unscheduled visits to the sites of some of the ongoing construction and renovation works at the Kwara State Stadium Complex in Ilorin.
The Governor’s aide, who described his principal as a sport loving Governor said he is glad but not surprised at the huge investment in the stadium.
“This shows who the Governor is, you have somebody who is a sport person, when he is the Governor, you can see the impact all around the stadium.
“I am aware that some of the facilities we are renovating have never been done before.
“There are lots of derivables, young people will be inspired to go into sporting activities, once the facilities are fixed, they will be inspired.
“One of those things that draw people around here is availability of the facilities, once you have the facilities you are inspiring young generation of people to go into sports” Ajakaye said.
He said the facilities when completed will help attract competitions from outside the state thereby, boosting the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR).
In his reaction, the State Director of Sports, Malam Ibrahim Alarape, who conducted the CPS round the projects said no governor has ever given priority to renovation of these facilities and bring new ones like Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
The Kwara Director of Sports, said when the facilities are completed, it will help develop the state athletes because when federations camp in the state, they will compete with the best hands in the country.
Briefing the CPS at one of the sites, Dr Belawu Abdulkadir, who is the site Engineer at the ongoing construction of eight new squash courts, said the project is expected to be delivered at the end of March.
Abdulkadir noted that when completed, Kwara will be the only state in Nigeria with eight squash courts with international standard in one place.
The Engineer informed the CPS of some of the challenges of getting some materials but hinted there is no cause of alarm as his company is on top of the situation.
The Kwara Governor is constructing eight new squash courts, renovating the first Olympic Standard Swimming Pool in Nigeria, the Handball courts, the Basketball courts as well as the Hostels at the Kwara Football Academy (KFA), which has already seen part of it completed.
