Sports facility expert, Ebi Egbe, has appealed to Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to extend the good works it is doing in the Niger Delta region to sports.
Egbe, the Chief Executive Officer of Monimichelle, noted at the weekend that sports is an area that impacts directly on the youths, insisting that NDDC’s intervention in the area of sports would curb youth restiveness in the region.
In Egbe’s words: “NDDC has been doing a great job in the area of road construction, provision of water, health care name it, but the commission needs to pay more attention to sports.
“Sports is an area that impacts on the youths. If they (NDDC) do that, it would curb youth restiveness in the region.
“The Niger Delta region needs to have sports facilities like recreational centres, sports parks and mini stadiums, where the youths can go and hone their sporting skills.
Emphasis needs to shift to the youths and put in place structures that would directly benefit them. It is only when that is done that there would be security in the area and investors can come in and do business in the oil rich region,” observed Egbe.
He pointed out that a country like South Africa deliberately built a befitting sports arena in the Soweto area of Johannesburg and today that is paying off as several South African sports stars have come out of the Soweto area which was hitherto only known for crime.
He stressed that the Ajegunle area of Lagos, just like the Niger Delta region also need sporting infrastructure.
“Both the Federal and Lagos State governments need to do the same thing in the Ajegunle area of Lagos. Ajegunle is the home of talents from football to music. Unfortunately, just like in the Niger Delta region, AJ City in Lagos has been neglected.
“Government need to focus on these areas and build sporting infrastructure that would benefit the youths and take them out of crime,” concludes the Monimichelle boss whose turfs are the benchmark in the country at the moment.
