Motorsport To Contribute To Nigeria’s GDP – President

President of Motorsport Club of Nigeria, Oduwa Okao says the game has the potential to contribute a lot to the nation Gross Domestic Product (GDP), if fully harnessed.
Okao made the assertion in an interview with newsmen in Benin, yesterday.
He spoke on the forthcoming Motorsport race, tagged “Easter Motorsport Festival” which will hold at Evbuobanosa, near Benin City, from April 19 to April 21.
He noted that Motorsport race had contributed a lot to the economy of the UK, USA and Austria, but had yet to be given any serious thought in Nigeria.
According to him, the potential of the sports spread across boosting of tourism, employment generation, technological development, sporting events as well as knowledge transfer.
“This sport needs to be given serious attention by government, private individuals as well as corporate organisations for its potentials to be brought to bear on the economy of the country.
“It is a sport whose multiplier effect transcended mere promotion of tourism; a huge employment opportunity can be generated through the sport.
“Aside the aspect of employment generation, knowledge transfer and local technology development are part of the benefits derivable from the sport.
“The sport would help the country diversify and would be less dependent on oil,” he said.
Okao said it was time the country gave the sport its pride of place and put Nigeria in the global Motorsport family.
He said the club was trying to professionalise the sport so that those involved drivers, riders and mechanics will start earning a living from it.
On this year’s annual Easter Motorsport Festival which is 8th in its series, Okao said the event would be in series and the grand finale would be on November 30.
“We usually have six races in a year and the Easter event is the first of the series; this will be followed by races in August while the final race is on November 30, when the championship will be decided.
“All this will take place at Evbuobanosa, near Benin City, where we have built the first motor race track in the country,” he said.
The president of the club however, lamented the lack of sponsorship of the event, saying that it had slowed the progress of the sport in the country.