Sport Minister Owan-Enoh meets SPRF board, says sector opens to investment

Posted : 27 October 2023

The Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has stated that sports development in Nigeria is now open to corporate and private investor participation.

Senator Owan Enoh disclosed this on Thursday in his office at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, when the Board Members of the Sports Performance Reward Fund (SPRF), led by its President, Engr Musa Kida, visited him.

He said that the Ministry under his watch will remain open to collaboration with corporate and private sector organizations in its resolve to ensure the development of sports in the country, especially in areas such as grassroots sports development, scholarships for our athletes, and infrastructure upgrades, among others.

"This is important, especially in this era of dwindling scarce resources.

"The Ministry is ready to collaborate and partner with the private and corporate sector organizations to provide them with the opportunity to complement government efforts towards the engagement and empowerment of our teeming youth, creating jobs for them, alleviating poverty among them, and positioning them for success in their fields of endeavor.

"This will also make our society better and safer for further investments by both the public, private, and corporate organizations," he said.

The Minister stated that the present administration under the Leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was conscious of this reality, which is why, in its wisdom, it created the Ministry of Sports Development and assigned him to oversee its affairs.

Senator Owan Enoh stated further that the government, in its renewed Hope Agenda, has also endorsed the National Sports Industry Policy (NSIP) approved by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration. A Policy Document that spells out the benefits of public-private partnership as well as private sector involvement in the development of sports in Nigeria.

"The document promotes initiatives that help nurture the relationship that is private sector-driven," he said.

He expressed optimism that with the caliber of the people that constitute the membership of the Board of Sports Performance Reward Fund (BSPTF), which includes, among others, the former Minister of State for Petroleum and later Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency, Henry Odein Ajumogobia, Professor Wale Sulaiman, a world-renowned Neurosurgeon, as well as other distinguished personalities, if the potential of the initiative to reward Nigerian podium finish athletes at international competitions is galvanized and revved up, the development of youth sports within the country, from the grassroots all the way to the Olympic heights, will soon be achieved.

He, therefore, called on the Board Members of SPRF and indeed the private sector organizations to come out en masse and join hands with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Administration to ensure the development of sports in Nigeria in line with global best practices.

Earlier in his remarks, the President of the Sports Performance Reward Fund, Engr Musa Kida, thanked the Honourable Minister for the support and encouragement he has given the SPRF since his assumption of office and in receiving them despite his busy schedule.

He explained that the reason men and women of proven integrity, who have been outstandingly successful in their various fields of endeavor, have come together to birth and drive the Sports Performance Reward Fund, was to establish a guaranteed and sure reward for generations of Nigeria's sporting youth, make sports an oasis of excellence in Nigeria by complementing government efforts, and also to drive and motivate Nigerian youth with sporting talent to put in the hard work and sacrifice required to be the best in the world.

Engr Kida expressed confidence that with the support of the Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, and the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Administration, "We can collectively make Nigeria a sustainable Global Superpower in all sports in the not-too-distant future."

Sport Minister Owan-Enoh meets SPRF board, says sector opens to investment

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