Young Talents Waste In The Southeast As Fg Abandons Sports Projects
Kenechukwu Andeh Half drenched with rain and shivering from cold, young Ikechukwu Agu looked up in surprise as this reporter approached him from a small shed beside the uncompleted Arochukwu Stadium stand in Abia State. He was quick to blame the Federal Government on the state of the stadium and shocked to realize that unlike similar projects which have been completed in other zones, funds for the construction of the stadium in his community had been released with nothing to show for it. “We are our problem in this country,” he mumbled, shaking his head. Millions Wasted With No Result Stories of abandoned constituency projects are rife across Nigeria, especially in rural communities in the Southeast geo-political zone where funds budgeted for grassroots development rarely touch the lives of citizens. In 2015, following his appointment as the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, laid out a vision which included a short term sports development plan focused on infrastructure, athlete’s welfare, grassroots games and sports as a viable business. Like his predecessors, Dalung reaffirmed that grassroots sports development remains the only route to rebuilding the country’s sports and empowering talented youths to manifest their talents and compete at the global stage. In line with his words, the ministry embarked on several projects targeted at providing adequate infrastructure at local levels and reviving secondary school sports by providing sporting materials to selected schools. Most of the projects initiated by the Dalung led administration, which should be due for completion by now, were found to have either not been executed properly or abandoned since they were captured and awarded in the 2017 and 2018 Zonal Intervention Funds. The policy of Muhammadu Buhari led administration is to award contract only when...
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