The Principal, Junior Secondary School, Area 10, Garki, Abuja, Mr Rayyanu Ogambe, has stressed the need for primary and secondary schools to promote sporting activities in their curriculum, saying it will help the development of the country’s future talents.
Ogambe, during the inaugural the Annual School Loofball Competition in Nigeria’s Capital City, said sporting activities would help to develop both the cognitive and personality traits of the pupils.
“All work with no play, makes Jack a dull boy, Sporting activities are very important in schools. They not only keep the body fit, they also boost the morale and confidence of the pupils. It is also from events like the inter-house Loofball competition that we can develop talents for the future. Many athletes that have represented the country have been discovered from school sporting activities,” Ogambe said.
He also urged government to provide sporting facilities to communities, to help pupils develop their talents.
“The government should also provide sports grounds for schools. Some of these students may not be as sound as we expect academically, but sports can give them a future and make them successful. So, the government should do the needful.” Ogambe added.
Earlier, the Director, Loofball Sports Development Initiative, Mr Winner Matahula, described sports as a universal language and a unifying tool even in most remote societies; stressing that the academic, social and health significance of sporting activities cannot be over emphasised.
“It is in the light of all of these that we began the Annual School Loofball Competition in the FCT about six years ago with the vision to develop and promote an indigenous sport in loofball that will become one of the top youth sports in the country and beyond,” he said.