Amended Sports Commission Bill to address unemployment

By Adekunle Williams

The Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa has said that the Lagos State Sports Commission (Amendments) Bill, will address unemployment in the state.

He made this known at the plenary on Wednesday after the amended Bill scaled through the second reading by voice votes.

According to the speaker, the Bill was to amend the Lagos State Sports Commission Law 2017 and to further create job opportunities for youths in the state.

Obasa said that the Bill when passed and signed into law, would engage youths and take them off the streets.

According to him, the opportunity should be utilised and put in everything to make the Bill work.

The speaker said if the state had put such a law in place before now, the EndSARS protest that disrupted the state would not have happened.

“It is a good Bill and I am passionate about it. Let’s inject more into sports and some structures will start growing.

“Sporting facilities should also be put in place for swimming, table tennis, amongst others so that we can have our own sportsmen and women,” he said.

Obasa, therefore, committed the Bill to the House Committee on Sports, which was to report back on Monday.

Earlier, in his contributions, Gbolahan Yishawu, representing Eti-Osa Constituency II, said that putting prizes on sports/games would open doors for investors.

Yishawu said the young participants would also enjoy life-changing opportunities, adding that this would result in a boom for the state economy as well.

“The beauty of sports is basically for youths and by addressing sports, we are solving youths’ problems. The amendment to the bill is apt and timely.

“Some sections in the Bill that deal with hunting for talents and games are important for the growth of sports in the state.

“So, with this Bill, we have turned sports into business, because it will open doors for investors,” he said.

NAN