Don Tasks FG On Stable Academic, Sports Calendar

The Director of Sports, University of Ilorin, Prof. Abimbola Adesoye, has urged the Federal Government to ensure a stable academic calendar in order “ to marry education and sports together.’’

Adesoye told newsmen in Ilorin that the government should curtail the incessant strikes in the education sector to enable sports to run smoothly with education.

The don said the university was preparing adequately for the forthcoming Nigeria University Games (NUGA) in Ile-Ife, Osun.

The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife would host the 2014 NUGA Games between February 12 and 22.

Adesoye further said: “The only solution to it is to have a streamlined calendar that would accommodate the two.

“I went through the university system too; but in our days, you know when you are going to write your exams, then you know when you are going for your summer holidays; but these days, you cannot find all these.

“I represented the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria in NUGA. But during the holidays, we were camped for two months by the university.

“And from camp, we moved straight to the competition; where can we get that now?”

The don, who said there was need to encourage sport in schools, called on sports administrators in the country to take sports to the grassroots.

He commended the NUGA council for its online registration procedure for the games.

Adesoye also said that the collaboration with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) would break the jinx of the use of mercenaries.

He also said that the University of Ilorin would participate in eight events, including athletics, badminton, basketball, chess, judo, squash, swimming and taekwondo.

Adesoye expressed optimism that the university would excel at the games because of the institution’s state-of -the-art facilities.