Dr Kachi Nwoga, the Action Democratic Party (ADP) candidate in the 2023 Imo State Governorship election has called on government to encourage private sector investment in sports, Wakawaka Sports Extra reports.
Nwoga equally urged government to allow the sports associations to manage the sport facilities while government serve as regulators and supervisors.
Speaking on what he will do differently, Nwoga noted that he will attract sponsors, insists on judicious spending on sports by the various local governments and State agencies, as well as encourage sports associations to be independent of government.
“I have been a long time advocate of sports development and if you recall when Amaju Pinnick was NFF President I thought he will do what he promised and which was to promote private sector investment in sports.
“I told you as at 12 years ago that there were 120,000 direct employees in football alone in Germany. What’s the population of Germany vs Nigeria? The issue is how we started. Government is keeping sports aside. If you look at all the sports associations, the headship of these sports associations are basically selected by government and so everybody there is working like a civil servant.
“What government should be doing is to allow the sports associations play their own role, elect their leadership and seek funding from various sources independently. We lose a lot of money from not bringing the right investment into sports.
“We are in a country where the youths are looking for what to do. We are crying for unemployment and bad economy. Those things that can reverse the duo of unemployment and bad economy are embedded in sports.
“I look forward to when the government will begin to look for what to do in real support, not the present case as we have here now – being satisfied with where every Commissioner for Sports, Governors or Deputies are just busy on how to make association Presidents only to give political patronage.
“Give them (The Sports Associations) the foundation let them grow. Allow them to manage the facilities with a certain guidelines, supervising or regulating. Support them with the diplomatic reach of the State in their bids for tournament hostings etc. This alone is an encouragement.
“Let’s encourage the sports associations so that they can have the round pegs in the round holes. That will mark the beginning of any good thing that will come. Attracting all the sponsors will make a new beginning. We will insists on the local government spending the money recommended for them in sports and encourage the sports associations to be independent and give them support.”
