Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has inaugurated 44 chairmen of sports associations in the state, charging them to strengthen grassroots development and create sustainable pathways for athletes to attain national and international success. The governor gave the charge on Tuesday during the inauguration ceremony held at Lagos House, Ikeja, according……
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has inaugurated 44 chairmen of sports associations in the state, charging them to strengthen grassroots development and create sustainable pathways for athletes to attain national and international success.
The governor gave the charge on Tuesday during the inauguration ceremony held at Lagos House, Ikeja, according to a post on the official Lagos State Government Facebook page.
Sanwo-Olu described the inauguration as an important step towards repositioning sports administration in the state and urged the new administrators to establish clear and measurable goals for their respective associations.
He also tasked them with implementing succession programmes and systems capable of identifying, nurturing and developing emerging talents into elite athletes.
The governor said Lagos’ status as the Centre of Excellence should extend beyond discovering talents to providing the structures, training opportunities and competitive platforms required to produce champions.
He described sports as more than recreation, noting that it could provide opportunities in discipline, education, employment, entrepreneurship and economic development.
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According to him, major sporting events also generate opportunities across sectors including hospitality, transportation, entertainment, media, technology, fitness and sports medicine.
Sanwo-Olu called for stronger partnerships between government and the private sector, stressing that increased private investment would create a stronger foundation for sports and athlete development in Lagos.
He further directed the newly inaugurated chairmen to uphold transparency, accountability and discipline while ensuring their associations maintain active competition calendars.
The governor also urged them to create opportunities for women, girls, persons with disabilities and other underrepresented talents.
He said their performance would ultimately be assessed by the athletes developed, institutions strengthened, records broken and champions produced during their tenure.
Highlighting Lagos’ recent performances at national sporting competitions, Sanwo-Olu said the achievements demonstrated what could be accomplished when talents were supported by functional systems.
He stressed the need for a continuous pathway connecting schools, training grounds and competitions to national, continental and international stages.
The governor also cited Lagos’ hosting of the National Intermediate Games as part of efforts to strengthen the state’s leadership in sports development and provide opportunities for young athletes from across Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, said the inauguration reflected the administration’s commitment to developing the state’s sports sector.
Fatodu stressed that government alone could not drive sports development, calling for stronger collaboration among government, sports associations, athletes, coaches, corporate organisations, schools and local communities.
He described the newly appointed chairmen as important links between athletes and their respective sporting communities, with responsibilities ranging from talent identification and athlete development to competition organisation and technical capacity building.
Fatodu added that the state had deliberately selected accomplished men and women across different sporting disciplines to provide leadership, mentorship and opportunities for young athletes.
Speaking on behalf of the chairmen, the Chairman of the Lagos State Athletics Association, Dr Solomon Alao, assured the government of their commitment to advancing its sports development agenda.
Alao said the opportunity to engage directly with the governor had strengthened their confidence in the administration’s commitment to the associations.
He pledged that the new leadership would work towards delivering credible and impactful results across their respective sporting disciplines, adding that the confidence placed in them would motivate them to pursue better outcomes for athletes and sports development in Lagos.
