7th March, 2015
President Goodluck Jonathan has promised to set up a special sports intervention fund to cater for six critical areas to promote training, education and welfare of retired and performing athletes.
The President said this on Saturday at the Eagle Square in Abuja, after leading an endurance trek and fitness exercise organised by a section of the country’s sports community.
He said the special fund will serve as a stop-gap against bureaucratic delays in budgeting for the training and participation of athletes at international engagements.
“I realised that sometimes when we have major tournaments, because of budgeting and file movements, training periods are delayed. But we want to stop that.
“One thing I also realised, again from my interaction with sportsmen and women, is that some will need some special trainings, which their federations cannot fund as they do not have the funds. We must stop that.
“Some other ones will want to improve their educational careers but, due to their commitment to sports, may miss the pursuit. We have to have funds for them to attend the university when they want.
“Another area is that some get injured and can’t participate in sports any longer. We must have funds to take care of such people.”
Jonathan also noted that some other sports men and women had made the country proud and had helped in bringing unity to the country.
He said therefore that anyone who had brought honour to the country through sports and projected the name of the country would accordingly not be allowed to wallow in poverty.
“When I see retired athletes, people who have made name for this country, living a life below average level, I feel touched. We must set out funds to make sure that no one who has made this country proud will be a beggar.”
Jonathan said his administration would encourage sports because it not only brings honour to the country but also creates jobs for the youths.
The President added that his administration would use the fund to strengthen the sports institutions, especially the National Sports for Institute in Lagos and the Centre of Excellence in Abuja.
He said it was only through such interventions that government funds could be complemented to enable Nigerian athletes dominate sports internationally.
Jonathan noted that Nigeria was blessed with many gallant sports men and women who must be encouraged to reach the optimum level in their chosen careers.
He assured that while government would continue to budget meaningfully for sports the intervention fund being proposed for his second term would however be managed by the private sector for effectiveness.
The President thanked the organisers of the endurance trek and fitness exercise for bringing together an array of formidable Nigerian athletes, both old and new.
“I join others to thank all of you for coming in this large number to have this unique programme.
“As we saw our ex-internationals mixing together with our young champions, it makes us proud.
“When you see the (Peter) Rufais mixing with the current champions, it makes you to realise that our country is a great country, a country that has formidable men and women who can take us to wherever we want to go.
“I believe that the young people will do us proud and will continue to do us proud.
“As a government we realised that we were not pushing sports enough and we held a retreat at the beginning of this administration. Certain decisions were taken and we started implementing such decisions.
“Within this period it has paid off, you have performed wonderfully well in several areas of sporting. Most of you have raised the bar. You have won gold at all levels, including the Olympics.
“Disabled athletes made us very proud. Others also did as well, from the continental level to the Commonwealth level and to the international level,” Jonathan said.