{files] Sunday Dare. Photo: TWITTER/KEMIANNAREOLA
Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, has reiterated the need for the public and private sectors to collaborate in developing Nigerian sports in line with what obtains in advanced countries.
Speaking during a visit to the Ilaji resort at Oloyo, Akanran, Ona Ara Local Council of Oyo State at the weekend, Dare described the facilities as world class, Dare said, “they compare with what obtains in Europe and other parts of the world where sports is serious business
“These facilities need to be given visibility and put to good use. The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports will be interested in partnering with you so that we can camp our athletes here with minimal distractions.”
The Ilaji Resort has football pitches, handball court, table tennis hall, basketball court, golf course, gym, swimming pool and hotel accommodation.
The minister said the resort “is in line with our public, private partnership and new sports industry policy. If we have 20 other Nigerians like you doing this, then we can experience rapid sports development that will groom athletes and bring return on investment.”
Earlier, the proprietor of Ilaji Sports Resort, Dotun Sanusi said, “I feel humbled to have you visit our facilities. This is our little contribution to building future stars for our country.
“We are ready and available to partner with the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to put these facilities to good use.
“We have an academy where players from ages four to 25 train on weekends. Our vision is to produce future stars for our national teams and those that will also play in Europe. We are still expanding and we believe that Nigerian sports can benefit from our noble initiative.”