“Footballers that we so cherished when in the field who brought honour, are allowed to die in poverty,” he said.
He opines that sport should be given adequate attention as it enhances job creation adding that professionalism should be employed even in the area of ministerial selection for the sector.
“Sports should be seen as an avenue for job creation. We have not invested in sports and we want to reap gold. “It is unfortunate that young people have lost interest in our national league and are more interested in European leagues. Our young people know all the players in Madrid, Man United and Barca. They know their birthdays and when their wives give birth but they don’t know the ranking of Nigerian teams.
“If you must appoint a doctor as Minister of Health, a professional sports personality should also be appointed for sports,” he said.The Senator argued that budget of sports is dismal, calling for more funding, to achieve desired results.
Sani said that a bill he sponsored in favour of the sport sector has reached the advanced level in the Senate.
“My bill aimed at decentralization of National Institute of Sports (NIS) is to have it decentralized in all zones. It has passed second reading. When passed, NIS would be close to you and help in developing sports all over the country,” he stressed.He called on government at all levels to stop appointing politicians as ministers and commissioners of sports.
“For now we are only interested in results without investments. If we invest in sports, it would provide opportunities for our young men and women. If we invest, we would reap more gold at international outings.“National Stadium Surulere is left in disrepair. For over three to four decades, a section of Sir Ahmadu Bello Stadium (ABS), Kaduna is left uncompleted.
“If we want to achieve, we must budget more. Tax breaks should be given to firms, which support sports. I must say we must as a people invest in sports”.
