Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has advocated strategic long-term planning and private sector participation in sports sector for overall development of sports in Nigeria.

Governor Ahmed made the call Wednesday while declaring open the first Kwara State Sports Summit, at the State Banquet Hall, Ilorin.

The Governor who disclosed that the Summit was the centre piece of government effort to fashion out a framework for sporting excellence expressed the hope that the roundtable would re-engineer sporting development in the state and restore Kwara State to its glorious position in sports. According to him, sports remain viable tools for youth development through inculcation of positive values.

Governor Ahmed called on government at all levels to actively support and promote sports in all its ramifications with a view to promoting national unity, fosters harmony and generates employment for thousands.

He promised that his government would continue to inculcate a culture conducive to private sector participation, especially the appropriate and full exploitation of latent marketing opportunities in the value chain of specified sports. Governor Ahmed challenged the resource persons and other panelists to identify and articulate a new pathway for the sporting growth and development of the state.

Also speaking, a former Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi emphasized the need for the state government to ensure improved school sporting activities as a measure to return the state to its glorious days in sports.

Mallam Abdullahi who gave the keynote address admitted that sports is capital intensive and advised the State government to concentrate on areas of comparative advantage to enable the state win more laurels during competitions.