By Saheed Ibrahim

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Stakeholders and sports development specialists have called for developmental programmes as follow up for the “All – Comer Athletic Competition” held at Federal University of Technology Akure, the Ondo state capital.
This, they said will help the young talents discovered at the event to be groomed for award-winning representation for the country.
The stakeholders, while noting that many of the young athletes performed brilliantly despite the coronavirus pandemic that limited their training, suggested that more investment is needed for sports to develop in the country.
They further recommended that corruptible behaviour of those in charge of sports administration and management in the country should be tamed.
Speaking with Sporting Hope, the Head of Department, Human Kinetics and Health Education at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Dr Dan Momoh said that sports talent development used to be a norm in the country in time past but in recent time, athletes are left to find their paths.
He recommended that there should be a follow up programme to groom the talents, adding that there should proper monitoring and incentives for the athletes.
Also speaking, a Commonwealth gold medalist and Chairman Nigeria Association of Technical Officials (NATO) in Ondo State, Lawrence Adegbehingbe said that the despite the coronavirus pandemic that dealt a blow on training and development, the performances of the athlete are “not bad”.
While noting that “Nigeria has a long way to go”, the Secretary General, Olympians in Nigeria and former Director of Sports Development at the Ondo State Sports Council recommended that there should be a follow up programme for the athletes.
He noted that developmental programmes for young athletes in Nigeria were killed by sports Directors and Commissioners in the country.
“Corruption has affected developmental programme for athletes. In a situation where somebody who is not measured to be in a team is included; they put their brothers and sisters in the teams and this do affect track and field development in Nigeria.
“People are looking for annexes to make money. Most of the meagre money approved by government end up in individual pockets and this cannot make sport develop in the country”, the former handler of the National Sprint team said.
While saluting the efforts of Ondo State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Dotun Owanikin and the General Manager of the state Sports Council, Babatunde Omoyele in sports development in the Sunshine State, the award winning coach said with proper follow up programmes, young talents would be nurtured for excellence in Nigeria.