Sports

House of Reps Revives Grassroots Sports with Distribution of Kits and Sportswear to All 360 Federal Constituencies

Published

1 year ago

July 23, 2025

By Joel Ajayi

In a renewed effort to revive grassroots sports and promote youth engagement across Nigeria, the House of Representatives has flagged off the distribution of sporting equipment to members of its sports Committee, targeting all 360 federal constituencies.

The initiative, launched on Wednesday in Abuja, is a collaboration between the House Committee on Sports and the National Sports Commission. It aims to support talent discovery and youth participation through the provision of essential sports kits including football boots, jerseys, and training gear.

Speaking at the event, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, urged lawmakers to redirect their constituency funds towards sports development at the grassroots level, instead of projects that are often left uncompleted.

“It is unacceptable that a country of over 230 million people returns from global competitions without medals, while much smaller nations succeed,” Abbas lamented. “To reclaim our sporting greatness, we must return to grassroots and developmental sports.”

He criticized the proliferation of abandoned skill acquisition centres and called on legislators to invest instead in community-level sports infrastructure and programmes, which he described as powerful tools for youth empowerment.

Commending the House Committee on Sports for its proactive efforts, the Speaker hailed the distribution exercise as unprecedented. “This is the first time I am seeing the Sports Committee match expectations in such a short period. Their performance is commendable and should serve as a model for other committees.”

In his remarks, Chairman of the Sports Committee, Hon. Kabir Amadu (Mai Palace), reaffirmed the House’s resolve to reinvigorate grassroots sports. He noted that each federal constituency will benefit from the distribution, with members expected to take the materials back to their communities.

“This gesture goes beyond symbolism. It is a practical step toward reviving youth engagement and sporting talent across Nigeria,” Amadu said. “We can’t keep lamenting the decline of grassroots sports without taking action.”

He also revealed that the next phase of the project would focus on constructing mini-stadiums across the country to complement the kits and provide long-term infrastructure for sports development.

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Sports

LWR’ll give women economic empowerment –Folami

Published

6 hours ago

November 6, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

As the 2026 Lagos Women Run further gathers momentum, the organisers are planning big for the other aspects of the annual event.

The press conference to herald the competition took place during the week in Lagos with the Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, Coordinator, Tayo Popoola, and other top dignitaries in attendance.

The Founder and Executive Director of Mateen Lander Impact Foundation, Sidikat Folami, who is the team leader of the three-day exhibition, said there were plenty of opportunities to be derived from the forthcoming Lagos Women Run.

Folami who commended the organisers, sponsors and Lagos State Government said there was always something special for every participant every year.

She added: “We want to give women the opportunity to take part in economic empowerment and this is where sport comes in. Sport is a unifier. When you see people gather around you know that something is happening and that is where Lagos women run is ensuring that we are not just running in one city, one stride initiative, we are running economically.

“We are also working with the environmentalists to make sure the environment is protected. That’s where we bring in recycle programs, private organizations to make women know that there is money around them, sustainable money and make them understand all the money that sits around them.”

The exhibition takes place between November 10 and 12 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium while the 10km race takes place on November 14 2ith the Tafawa Balewa Square as the takeoff point.

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