By Abdulgafar Oladimeji

The immediate past governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has called on public and private sector business operators past governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has called on public and private sector business operators to embark on massive investments in grassroots sports development programmes as a tool to empower Nigerian youths and diversify the economy.

The former governor, who is the grand patron of Ganduje Babes FC, said that the development of young athletes, provision of adequate and quality sports infrastructure, alongside major sponsorships of grassroots sports events, are among the foremost approaches through which Nigeria’s human and capital development agenda can be further achieved.

Speaking when he received the players and officials of the Nationwide League One (NLO) side, Gandujiyya Babes, who paid him a courtesy visit, Ganduje thanked the management of the club for their persistence and consistency in running the affairs of the club since its inception a decade ago.

He decried the austerity pattern that had recently trailed the disbursement of support funds to amateur football clubs in Kano, reassuring NLO clubs in the state that with the latest political realignments, they would now witness a new regime in terms of monetary and moral support to clubs affiliated with the NLO Kano Forum.

He lamented that since he left office as the executive governor of the state, the forum was deprived of the annual support funds and intervention funding that had in the past been disbursed to the clubs to ensure they carried on with their activities without disruptions to their calendar.

Ganduje admitted that he is aware of the constraints presently confronting NLO clubs domiciled in the state, stating that with the new political alliance that has brought him and the incumbent Kano State governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, together, he pledged to intervene to make sure the situation is reversed. This, he said, is to help breathe life back into the activities of NLO football clubs operating in the state.

He then appealed to operators in the public and private sectors of the economy to invest more in grassroots sports promotion and development programmes.

He pointed out that the global sports sector is the fastest-growing economy, saying that in Kano and Nigeria at large, the grassroots sports sector deserves massive commercial and social investments in tandem with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He said that under his tenure as the executive governor of the state, huge resources were invested in the sector with the motive of helping Kano youths pursue and realize their sports aspirations. He stated that hope is not lost, since he harbors confidence in the reliable commitment and vigor of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to pursue any project that will impact the lives of Kano youths, assuring that better days await grassroots sports activities in the state.

The chairman of Ganduje Babes FC, Ibrahim Usman Arzai, applauded the former governor for his support to the club since its creation 10 years ago, adding that Ganduje’s close confidant, Comrade Mohammed Garba, had always provided solid grounds for the club to survive tough times by rendering financial support.

He said the club was created to help recruit youths from all the 44 local governments of the state with the motive of empowering them, disclosing that plans are underway for the club to embark on an awareness tour of the 44 local governments to sensitize the youths on the new sports agenda of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.

He disclosed that hundreds of Kano youths have benefited from the development initiative programmes implemented under the aegis of Gandujiyya Babes FC.

He then presented the newly recruited head coach of the club, Muhammad Inuwa Baba, to the grand patron.