Sunday Dare

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, says the country’s new Sports Industry Policy will serve as catalyst for transforming sports into a big business sector when operational.

The minister said this in Abuja at a seminar organised by the Federal Capital Territory chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN).

Dare, who decried the lack of funds to properly run the over 36 sports federations and facilities in the country, stressed the need for private sector involvement.

“We cannot continue to rely on budgetary allocation to run sports in the country, the private sector must come in.

“The new Sports Industry Policy seeks to create the enabling environment for sports to thrive and for the private sector to come in,” he said.

He said the policy when approved would address the four key areas of Infrastructure, Investment, Incentives and Policy to transform Nigerian sports.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new Sports Industry Policy is due to be presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for final approval.

Dare said that the ministry was already partnering with the private sector to rehabilitate major stadia in the country among other projects.

He said modern sports had gone scientific and Nigeria must also plug in, especially in the area of data, statistics and modern equipment to compete globally.

The minister said he would continually work with stakeholders, especially the media, to transform Nigerian sports in line with international best practices.