Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has tasked the newly inaugurated chairmen of 44 sports associations with building stronger grassroots structures for talent discovery and athlete development across the state.
Sanwo-Olu gave the charge on Tuesday during the inauguration of the chairmen at Lagos House, Ikeja, describing their appointment as a significant step towards repositioning sports administration in the state.
He urged the new administrators to set clear and measurable objectives, establish succession programmes and develop systems for identifying, nurturing and transforming emerging talents into elite athletes.
The Governor said Lagos’ status as the Centre of Excellence must extend beyond talent discovery to providing the structures, training opportunities and competitive platforms required to produce champions.
He said sports should be viewed not only as recreation but also as a pathway to discipline, education, employment, entrepreneurship and economic growth.
According to him, major sporting events create opportunities in hospitality, transportation, entertainment, media, technology, fitness and sports medicine.
Sanwo-Olu also called for stronger government-private sector partnerships, saying increased investment would strengthen sports and athlete development in Lagos.
He charged the chairmen to uphold transparency, accountability and discipline, while ensuring active competition calendars and opportunities for women, girls, persons with disabilities and other underrepresented talents.
The Governor said their performance would be judged not by the length of their tenure but by the athletes developed, institutions strengthened, records broken and champions produced.
He cited Lagos’ recent performance at national sporting competitions as evidence of what could be achieved when talent was supported by a functional system.
Sanwo-Olu also highlighted the state’s hosting of the National Intermediate Games as part of efforts to strengthen Lagos’ leadership in sports development and provide opportunities for young athletes nationwide.
The Director-General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Mr Lekan Fatodu, said the inauguration demonstrated the administration’s commitment to developing the sports sector.
Fatodu said government alone could not drive sports development, stressing the need for stronger partnerships among sports associations, athletes, coaches, corporate organisations, schools and local communities.
He described the chairmen as critical links between athletes and their sporting communities, with responsibilities including talent identification, athlete development, competition organisation and technical capacity building.
Speaking on behalf of the chairmen, the Chairman of the Lagos State Athletics Association, Dr Solomon Alao, pledged their support for the government’s sports development agenda.
Alao said the opportunity to engage directly with the Governor had dispelled doubts about the administration’s commitment to the associations and renewed their confidence.
He assured the state government that the chairmen would strive to deliver credible and impactful results across their respective sporting associations.
