The federal government will investigate all options for increasing youth engagement in sports in order to enable them to become self-employed.
Sunday Dare, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, stated this when he met with Sorgai Poroshin, Executive Director of the Moscow Hand-To-Hand Sports Federation.
In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, Mohammed Manga, the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, claimed that the Permanent Secretary, Ismaila Abubakar, met Poroshin on Dare’s behalf.
“This move is in line with the present administration’s policy thrust which is geared towards making the teeming Nigerian youth entrepreneurial.
”Also, it will make the youths self-reliant and employable,” Dare was quoted as saying.
“The ministry will put up workable modalities which will make Nigeria not to only key into programmes by Hand-To-Hand Sports but also open up more doors for our youths’ involvement in the various fields of sports worldwide,” he added.
Dare urged Nigerian youth to keep themselves abreast of news about the various policies, programmes and initiatives of the present administration.
He said this would enable them to take advantage of every available opportunity to better their lives. Earlier, Poroshin had said that he was in the ministry to introduce the hand-to-hand game to the country.
He said the sport had been in existence for the past 16 years and has 38 countries on its membership list.
“The countries include Ghana, and there is the need for Nigeria to see the possibility of keying into it given its position as the giant of Africa.
“Nigeria’s acceptance of the game will further open a new horizon for the country’s youths to make their mark in the group of sports-loving countries,” Poroshin added.
