‘Sports, Vehicle For Unity’

Sport administrators in Lagos have urged the Federal
Government to use sports as a means of encouraging unity among the people of
Nigeria.

Technical Chairman,
Fives Federation of Nigeria (FFN), Alhaji Nasiru Mohammed, observed in an
interview with newsmen that sports connects people more than anything in the
world.

“It can be used as a
channel through which unity can be encouraged among Nigerians.

“It is obvious that sports connects people easily; an instance is the crowd that gathers to watch a football match, putting aside tribe or religion just for the love of the game.

“The Federal Government should invest more in sports and
also encourage the same at all levels of government to promote unity from the
grassroots level.’’

Nasiru, who is also a member of Lagos Technical Committee
for Eko 2012, said that individuals could emulate the oneness and loyalty
displayed by teams.

“Sports-loving individuals can also emulate the act of
oneness displayed by various teams which encourages unity among them,’’ he
added.

Head, Coaching and Training Department of the Nigeria
Institute of Sport, Mr Abari Sanda, said that sport cuts across boundaries and
cultures.

“A sport-loving person must learn to embrace different
cultures because sport enables us to meet people with different beliefs and it
cuts across boundaries.

“It is when we ignore our differences or colours that we all
can come together in a sportsmanship spirit to speak a common language and
practise what sport preaches.”

Head Coach, Warri Wolves, Maurice Cooreman, noted that
youths are nation builders and making them have interest in sports is like
giving them a reason to come together as a team to achieve a common goal.

“When we look at the talented home-based footballers that
travel abroad to further their career, we will see that sports transcends
continents.

“The whole world has interest in one sport or the other, and
that is why competitions like the Olympics connects us all; what we have to do
is embrace the unity that sports portrays around the world,’’ he said.