Date: 2013-02-25

p>WORRIED by the absence of Kwara State indigenes in the squad of the Super Eagles, which recently won the African Cup of Nations in South Africa, two of the state’s members of the House of Representatives, Dr. Ahmad Ali (Ilorin West and Asa) and Alhaji Zakari Mohammed (Baruten and Kiama) have canvassed more talent hunts in the state.

Ali and Zakari in separate interviews with The Guardian in Ilorin said it was demoralising watching the national team without a Kwaran, more so when a former Super Eagles leading striker, Rasheed Yekini was from Ira, Oyun Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

The legislators said the reality was that sporting activities in the state have nosedived and it required an urgent intervention by both the government and the private sector to revive them.

Ali, who said school sports should be revived to restore the lost glory, urged the private sector in the state to emulate the gesture of the past Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who is the sole proprietor of a Nigeria Premier League (NPL) club.

Besides, he opined that sports have become veritable means of livelihood for the talented ones and could also assist in solving the problems associated with youth unemployment in Nigeria.

“With the talents we have in Kwara State we can solely contribute 11 good players that can form the bulk of the nation’s football team. In the good old days, our academicals were the best in the country.

“We need to revisit the good old days. There is a need to go back to the grassroots and bring to the limelight our talented youths. We should not forget that Kwara State is the only state in Nigeria with two premiership clubs in the NPL. Besides, our football academy is one of the best in the country.”

Ali, who opined that the government could not exclusively uplift football standard in the state, encouraged all football lovers to use their resources to make Kwara ‘the Spain and Brazil of Nigerian football.’

For Mohammed, other non-football events should be revamped.

According to him, “we produced Atanda Musa in the past in the game of Table Tennis. In boxing, Joe Lasisi was discovered right here in Ilorin. In athletics, don’t forget the likes of Fatima Yusuf and Hameed Adio and so on, who shook their generations.

“All we need to do now is to get right our bearing in talent discovery. Our school sports should be more vibrant. We have one of the best stadia in Nigeria. The design of the stadium is such that it can simultaneously host about 20 different sports, we should explore this option very well.”