By Femi Atolagbe

The current administration will make Ogun State a point of call as far as sports are concerned in the country.

The Commissioner for Sports in Ogun State, Wasiu Isiaka, stated this in a chat with newsmen at the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival, tagged Gateway Games, in Abeokuta.

He assured that the facilities used for the National Sports Festival would be properly maintained and not allowed to deteriorate.

The commissioner said the state government would explore a public-private partnership to ensure that the facilities are appropriately maintained and effectively managed.

According to him, “Ogun has four stadia and other sports centres that the government alone may not be able to maintain, hence the need for a partnership.

“A swimming pool, for example, is a technical facility that, if anybody must manage it, they must have the technical know-how to maintain it, and that means we are going to have a partnership.

“And there is no way you can bring the private sector to manage that kind of investment without ensuring it is properly handled to a level that will be beneficial to both sides.

“I can assure you that none of those facilities will be allowed to deteriorate.

“We have invested so much in the facilities, and the government is planning to ensure that it gets real value for the investment. I can assure you for free that none of it will be allowed to waste away like that,” he said.

He also disclosed that the state is planning to construct chalets inside the MKO Abiola Sports Arena.

He added that the arena would be divided into three sections: the chalets, a recreational area, and the sporting complex.

“We are not just hosting the National Sports Festival in Ogun State; we are actually coming up with a good and solid sports development system.”