LAGOS – Mr Waheed Enitan-Oshodi, the Lagos State Commissioner for Sports, Youth and Social Development, says the state has opted to field young athletes at the forthcoming National Sports Festival (NSF).
Enitan-Oshodi made this disclosure in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.
The commissioner, who was a special guest at an event to herald a grass roots football championship, expressed dissatisfaction with the current status of grass roots competitions.
“The invitation of world class athletes such as Blessing Okagbare to participate in the games meant to groom athletes is an aberration to the spirit of the event.
“Tell me how states are going to develop their sports with the influx of Nigerian foreign-based professionals if attention is not given to home-based athletes,” the commissioner said. [eap_ad_1] According to him, the state has a policy of relying on the grass roots for competitions as that will afford it the opportunity to develop budding talents.
He said the state had placed premium on the training of young athletes, noting that there was no time the state was in short supply of cadet athletes.
The commissioner added that other states that had been unable to develop their athletes had always come to the state to hire athletes.
“We always have an array of athletes we can hire out for a fee to other states and we will continue to follow that trend,” he said.
NAN reports that the state came third at the 18th edition of the NSF held in Lagos in 2012.
The 19th edition of NSF will hold from Nov. 23 to Dec. 3 in Calabar. (NAN)
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