‘Sports, Exercise Can Elongate Lifespan’

The Acting Director-
General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mr Alhassan Yakmut, has said that sports and physical fitness exercise can increase the lifespan of Nigerians.
Yakmut told newsmen in Abuja that the life expectancy ratio of Nigerians was not good enough.
He, however, said that one of the responsibilities of the commission was to ensure that Nigerians, both young and old live healthy lifestyles.
“As a government operative, I am aware that one of the responsibilities of the National Sports Commission is to raise the fitness profile of the Nigerian citizenry by creating good avenues for recreation.
“What we want to do is see a situation where the lifespan of the Nigerian citizen is raise up to 60 to 70 in the near future just like Japan and other countries.
“But for now, we have been shuttling between 48 for men and 52 for women which is too low and exercise will do a lot to turn that around positively.
Yakmut also said that since sports were a unifying factor in Nigeria, efforts were on to ensure that it was sustained.
He also said that sports had evolved over the years and it had developed gometrically.
“Sports all over the world have proven to be a veritable tool for sustaining and accelerating positive diversity management.
“And it has worked so well in Nigeria to the extent that when it comes up, all Nigerians are united and over the years, sports have been the rallying point for Nigerians.
“It has been so effective that we cannot compromise. Up till now we have not seen any other sector that unites the country more than sports.
“In terms of sports development, between independence in 1960 and now there has been very positive geometric improvement in sports in the number of people participating and number of facilities coming up.
“What has changed is the dill dallying between technology from the soft side as computers and that of the mechanical and physical side.”
He, however, appealed to youths to engage more in physical sports, rather than cyber sports which doesn’t make them stars.
The physical sports, he said, included computer games and play stations.
“It is important to look at the contemporary development of today to divert the attention of youths into more of the mechanical and physical aspect of sports than cyber sports.