Minister Urges Children’s Participation In Sports

Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi has decried the influence of the social media on sports development.

He said the platform had prevented children from participating actively in sports.

Abdullahi made the statement in Abuja when the African Regional Working Group of Experts on Inter-Governmental Committee for Physical Education and Sports (CIGEPS) paid him a courtesy call.

The minister said that the development had posed a big challenge to sports development in the region.

“One of the key challenges that we have been discussing also is: how do we get children to be a lot more active to play more active sports?

“We recognise the challenge that smart phones and social media as well as television pose to child upbringing.

“These days, children are more likely to sit behind the computers than be on the field and that has its own implication.

“The challenge for all of us, not only at the National Sports Commission (NSC) but to the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health, is how we develop framework that can give children the opportunity to play sports.

“Am particularly excited to have people from other parts of the world with experience to have deliberated on the issue.

“This gives us the opportunity to know what we are going to do,’’ Abdullahi explained.

He said NSC, as a knowledge institution, would want to disseminate for the benefit of the child in as much as it would bring about the development of sports in the country and the African region.

Philipp Muller, a Specialist with UNESCO, said the organisation was working with International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ensure children embraced sports at a tender age.

“There are a variety of efforts which concern the value of sports generally and the interest and use of sports by young kids in schools and outside of schools.

“We also work with sports federations and IOC to design designated programmes targeting young people in terms of anti-doping.

“A new manual is being