Wahidi Akanni, an ex-international, on Monday said sports administrators in Nigeria should make a conscious effort towards developing sports at the grassroots.
Akanni told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that this would help to build sustainable grassroots programme which would engender growth at all levels of sports.
He said this was necessary in the face of the declining state of sports in the country.
“There should be a grassroots association for all sports, where issues which concern each sport can be addressed. There is need for sports administrators to be dedicated to this cause for us to
achieve this.
“During my time as a player, school sports handled all this aspect,and they usually have a budget, so that they can have programmes all through the year.
“So, during the long vacation period, students should be engaged in sports activities,’’ the former midfield player said.
Akanni also pointed out that the state of sports at the senior level was not what it should be, blaming this on lack of a genuine grassroots programme.
“Most of the time when we go for international tournaments, nobody is expecting any colour of medals.
“If sports administrators make grassroots development a priority, I honestly believe a lot can be achieved,” he said.(NAN)
