The President of the Nigeria School Sports Federation, Olabisi Joseph, has called for increased investment in school sports, saying better facilities and support could help keep children away from drug abuse and other social vices.
Joseph said many schools still lack basic sporting facilities, despite the role sports play in children’s education, physical development and character building.
She urged federal and state governments, corporate organisations and other stakeholders to do more to support school sports and ensure schools have adequate sporting infrastructure.
“School sport is not what the Nigerian School Sports Federation alone can do,” she said, calling on stakeholders to work together to improve the sector.
Joseph said greater investment would give children positive activities to engage in while helping them develop discipline, teamwork and leadership skills.
Established in 1976, the federation oversees school sports for children aged six to 18, from primary to senior secondary school.
She said school sports had helped Nigeria discover athletes who went on to represent the country internationally, set national records and secure scholarships to study abroad.
Joseph also described sports as a tool for national unity, noting that competitions bring children from different ethnic, religious and social backgrounds together.
“When it comes to sport, we don’t mention religion.
"We don’t mention social classes.
"We don’t mention tribe and ethnicity.
"Sport brings everyone together,” she said.
She expressed confidence that Nigeria could develop a stronger pool of young athletes within the next five to six years if more attention was given to school sports.
According to her, investing in school sports could also reduce the need to source athletes from outside the country for age grade competitions, given the abundance of talent in Nigerian schools.
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