The Lagos State Sports Trust Fund on Thursday at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium inside the Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja, Lagos donated sporting equipment and facilities to public schools in the state.
The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was the special guest of honour on the occasion, pledged his continued support to grassroots sports development as over 644 public secondary schools, five state technical schools and five state tertiary institutions benefited from the gesture of the LSSTF, which is headed by Olaposi Agunbiade.
The Governor, who was represented by the state’s Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Bolaji Ogunlende, said the gesture was part of his administration’s promise to students within the sports and educational sectors.
“Currently, Nigeria is laden with various kinds of instabilities such as political, ethnic and religious violence, and there is no doubt that youths, mostly students, are now at the centre of these vices. This is because the love of sporting activities among the youths has been replaced by other endeavours like internet fraud, drug abuse, armed robbery, and some other vices.
“It is against this background that the Lagos State Sports Fund is creating and uniting opportunities capable of diverting the attention of the youths from crimes by focusing on the development of school sports in Lagos State.
“We are here today to further demonstrate our understanding that the benefits of sports in education are vast and are not just physical benefits. While many subjects at schools are taught primarily in the classroom, sports and physical education provide a great opportunity for students to head outside, get active and focus on developing different skills,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He added, “Let me assure you that this intervention will get to more schools across the state. The LSSTF understands the place of sports in the overall development of the youths and the multiplier effects on the society at large.”
He charged the students to take ownership of the sports equipment by protecting them from vandalisation, theft and abuse.
In his remarks, Executive Secretary of the LSSTF Agunbiade lauded the Governor for his support to the agency and promised to unveil more projects that would take the state to an enviable position in sports.