Seun Fakorede, who was nominated by Governor Seyi Makinde as commissioner, has promised to develop the sporting sector in Oyo State if assigned to man the ministry of youth and sports.
Fakorede, who spoke with journalists after his screening by members of the Oyo State House of Assembly, said that he was going to work in line with the manifestoes of the governor.
The civil engineering graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, who specifically spoke about 3SC and Crown FC, said that the government would work with all stakeholders to get the two club sides to where they truly belong.
“I’m not happy about the situation of 3SC and Crown FC. 3SC especially was the cynosure of all eyes. For close to four seasons, 3SC has been in the Nigeria National League. Crown FC has not been doing well. The two clubs would be top on our agenda. We will ensure they get promotions to the elites division.
“In addition to that, we would ensure that the Governor’s Cup is resuscitated so as to help discover new talents. Other sporting activities would not be neglected.
“We will as well look at ways of generating funds internally through sports. Ibadan has a large concentration of ex-internationals. We will look at ways by which we can engage them on these numerous projects. Their expertise and experience are available to be tapped. These former internationals will help the states plug into the global ecosystem of the football economy.
By doing this, our large youth population would, in the process, be turned into an asset class. Though this is a long-term plan, which will entail investing in the youth in the area of sports. A similar project is the Kwara Football Academy (KFA), which was introduced in 2005 and has continued to churn out great stars who ply their trades in Nigeria and outside.
“According to a 2017 report by KPMG, it shows the entire global sports market – including infrastructure, events, training and sports goods – is estimated to be worth between $600-700 billion per year. This is almost double the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria in 2018. We can leverage this market as a creative alternative to shore up our revenues.
“We are not going leave youth unemployment unattended to. We will look for way of tackling it apart from the normal ways of giving them government jobs. Looking for jobs is beyond government. There is something everybody can do; everybody has his area of interest. We will organize conference and seminar to expose them to opportunities. We would also organize entrepreneurial programmes regularly and look for ways of getting sponsors for them.
Appreciating Makinde for the nomination, he said he would forever cherish the honour. He also thanked the youth, especially those of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the shower of love since he was announced, adding that he would not fail them.
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