The Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes has called on governments at all levels to invest in grassroots sports development, emphasizing the need to discover and nurture more talents in the industry.
Speaking at the finals of the 2024 Ibadan Cultural Festival Week sports competitions, Chairperson of the Sports Sub-Committee, Alhaja Folasade Olayiwola, stressed the importance of supporting young athletes and providing them with opportunities to excel.
The event was attended by CCII President General, Chief Ajeniyi Ajewole, Chairman of the 2024 Ibadan Cultural Festival Week, Balogun Gaphar Ojetola, Mogaji Isiaq Ajibola Salawu-Areokuta, and Chairman of the Karim Adeyemi Foundation, who was represented by Barrister Olamide Idowu.
Others in attendance included the 2023 NNPP governorship candidate in the state, Mr. Joshua Popoola, and the Jagun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Dotun Sanusi.
Olayiwola appealed to the federal and state governments to allocate more funds to support grassroots sports, highlighting the potential for talent discovery and development, according to Daily Post.
She emphasized that CCII has been promoting grassroots sports through annual competitions, which have led to opportunities for young athletes to travel abroad and pursue their careers.
She added that this is necessary to discover more talents in sports.
“We want to discover more talents in Ibadanland. We are doing this to encourage our young ones. We need to engage them. We do it every year.
“We have been supporting grassroots sports through these competitions. We have secondary school students participating. Even the best are being picked by coaches within and outside the country. Some of these best have gotten the opportunity to travel abroad.
“We are appealing to the governments at all levels to support grassroots sports. This will help us discover more talents in sports.”
