Bookmakers defined sports development as the process of developing and strengthening sports at all levels, ranging from grassroots involvement to elite performance.
It covers a wide range of areas, including infrastructure development, athlete training, coaching, and sports organization and administration. It also refers to the use of sports as a vehicle for social development and positive transformation.
That is why sports development is linked with societal advancement because it results in the betterment or enables for the overall development of any place where it occurs. Thus:-
Sports development entails the followings:-
1. Infrastructural development: Which has to do with building and improving sports facilities, such as stadiums, training grounds, and community centers, to make sports activities more accessible and attractive.
2. Athlete development: Which involves identifying, nurturing, and training talented athletes through structured programs and coaching.
3. Coaching and Training: Guaranteeing that athletes have access to qualified coaches who can provide good instruction and advice.
4. Organizational Development: Improving the structure and management of sporting organizations, such as national federations and local clubs.
5. Sport for Development (S4D) is the use of sport to achieve development goals by leveraging its capacity to solve societal concerns such as health, education, gender equality, and conflict resolution.
As a result, if the metrics given above are indications of sports development, I feel Ogun State is on the right track in terms of promoting sports and increasing sports participation in its communities.
I have not been to Ogun state in recent years, but I was there in 2006 when the state hosted the then National Sports Festival, so I have never seen it live. However, according to what I’ve read, the state is investing heavily on sports and athletic facilities. And for sure, it is a place I would like to visit and see things for myself.
That is why any serious sports fan or stakeholder in this country will be pleased and delighted with the current genuine and practical sports development in Ogun state, which is exactly what I am anticipating or dreaming of in Kano, my home state.
The fact that Ogun and Kano states are in distinct locations, with diverse ethnic groups, social backgrounds, and sizes, gives them something in common.
The same way the inhabitants of the two states enjoyed and followed sports, so did their two leaders, Dapo Abiodun and Abba Kabir Yusuf, who represented their respective states’ populations.
That is why there is no doubt that Dapo Abiodun and Abba Kabir Yusuf are transforming the landscape of sports development in their respective states.
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, for example, is spending extensively in sports facilities throughout the state, which is why the state now has many standard or international facilities that can hold a variety of athletic events.
The state is currently a national and worldwide athletic hotspot capable of hosting any sports event, allowing them to find hidden talents within the state while also drawing the world’s greatest athletes.
Ogun State has made considerable changes and improvements to its sports and other facilities since hosting the 2024 National Sports Festival (Gateway Games 2024) a few months ago.
These improvements include the MKO Abiola International Stadium and the Alake Sports Centre in Abeokuta, with the goal of providing cutting-edge facilities for a variety of sports and improving the state’s sporting environment.
The government spent substantially on repairs and upgrades to the MKO Abiola Stadium, which was rebuilt with a new pitch, tartan tracks, and VIP section. A new Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis courts, and handball courts were also built.
The Alake Sports Centre has been renovated to match worldwide athletic standards, including the roof and critical areas. It is hosting sports such as basketball, handball, volleyball, squash, badminton, and table tennis.
Other upgraded sports facilities include a 50-meter Olympic-size swimming pool, tartan track, basketball, tennis, and handball courts, hybrid football field, digital scoreboard, and VIP seating for 150 guests.
The state government is equally promoting grassroots sports contests in various areas to develop youthful talent and discover the young.
All of these projects seek not only to arrange national and international events, tournaments, and competitions, but also to establish the state and Nigeria as a sports development hub.
And these are the key reasons why many people believe Ogun state’s people will be eternally thankful to Governor Dapo Abiodun for resurrecting sports in the state by establishing Abeokuta and other cities as worldwide sports hubs.
Don’t forget that it was such facilities that prompted the state to host the recently completed CAA African U28/U2O Athletics Championship in Abeokuta’s gleaming newly refurbished MKO Sports Arena.
The CAA African Championship comes just two months after Ogun State held perhaps one of the best-organized National Sports Festivals in history, the Gateway Games 2024, which undoubtedly drives the Governor to do even more to leave an unrivalled athletic legacy for the state.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, on the other hand, leads one of the most populous and sports-loving communities in northern Nigeria.
And he is undoubtedly doing his best to help and sustain the state’s renowned Kano Pillars Football Club, which is currently competing in the Premier League.
His efforts to grow sports in the state are evident, as the state is the only one with two Premier League teams in the northwest and the entire northern region.
Kano has participated and competed in practically every national tournament under Governor Abba’s supervision, more than any other governor in the north.
In truth, Kano is doing well under Governor Abba, but the lack of a stand or Olympic size stadium and other world-class athletic facilities is a disadvantage because it would prevent Kano state from hosting any national or international events.
To restore Kano state to its former self, where it hosted numerous national, sub-regional, and regional sports and athletic events, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf must declare a state of emergency in state sports.
The governor will have to invest some significant amount of money on rehabilitating dilapidated facilities and building new ones around the state.
The Sani Abacha Stadium, for example, requires a total renovation, similar to what Governor Dapo Abiodun did to the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta.
Currently, the artificial turf of the Sani Abacha Stadium must be replaced with natural grasses that are utilized all over the world. Its Tartan track for athletics also needs replacing. Similarly, its scoreboard needs replacement to meet CAF/FIFA standards.
The Mahaha Sports Complex, like the Alake Sports Centre, should be renovated and outfitted with a variety of standard sporting facilities, as Governor Dapo Abiodun accomplished.
I am sure if renovated, Mahaha will be acknowledged as a global sporting standard capable of hosting a wide range of activities such as basketball, handball, volleyball, squash, badminton, and table tennis.
The complex will include a dedicated athletics arena, multi-sports indoor hall, and high-performance gymnasium and 50-meter Olympic size swimming pools.
Because sports now give employment opportunities, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf should expand athletic facilities to remote areas in order to promote sports in our communities.
Kano Pillars Stadium, Gwagwarwa Mini Stadium, and Ado Bayero Square are also in need of renovations.
The government needs to equip sports zones in major LGAs with mini-stadiums (LG Sports Development Policy) and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model can be used to mobilize local business support (as seen in Ogun’s Remo Stars Stadium).
All of this, if implemented, will undoubtedly improve sports in the state and attract national and international athletics events.
And their economic rewards will be significant as a result of the massive number of people traveling in and out of the state to watch the games.
Staging or hosting any event will undoubtedly generate big revenue for the state, which is why the majority of us regard it as a low-key strategy to strengthen the state economy.
To strengthen School Sports and Tertiary Institutions Leagues/Games, the Kano State Schools Sports among primary and secondary schools, Mini Sports Festival, Inter-Local Government Games, Colleges of Education and Polytechnic Games, and the establishment of an annual “Kano Governor’s Cup” for schools and higher institutions must be reinstated.
I am confident that the consequence of this will result in a strong youth talent foundation, similar to Ogun’s inter-school/collegiate system.
The government also needs to establish a Sports Development Fund and Investment Framework. This would help athletes practice, provide coaching clinics, provide incentives for grassroots groups, and offer tax breaks to local businesses who invest in sports (for example, stadium naming rights and team sponsorships).
The government must also invest in Human Capital: Coaching, Officiating, and Administration, which will include the organization of certified and refresher courses for coaches (CAF/NFF coaching license), referees and technical officials, sports administrators and team managers, sponsorship of Kano-based coaches for international seminars, and the recruitment of professionals to lead Sports Commission departments.
The government needs to build a state-funded multi-sport academies such as Ogun’s Olusegun Obasanjo Sports Academy, support private sports schools by providing official accreditation and incentives, and develop local youth from LGAs through zonal sports schools.
The government should use Radio Kano, ARTV, and Triumph Newspaper to broadcast school and grassroots events, create a Kano State Sports Journal or online platform to track successes and rankings, and organize regular sports town halls and forums with stakeholders.
They should also promote Sports Tourism in Kano: The government should present Kano as a destination for sports festivals, martial arts, and traditional wrestling activities, as well as combine sports events with Durbar festivals, cultural heritage, and historical tourism to attract a larger audience.
They also need to Establish an Annual State Sports Performance Review: The government should hold a Kano State Sports Summit every year. This is to review previous successes, evaluate strategic initiatives, and honour athletes.
Finally, with political will, organized planning, and stakeholder participation, Kano State can easily outperform Ogun State and become a national model for Northern sports growth.
