Date: 2016-08-13

The Kwara Director of Sports and Chairman, Nigeria Directors of Sports Forum, Tunde Kazeem, has called on the Federal Government to give corporate bodies willing to support sports in Nigeria tax waiver. Kazeem stated this on Tuesday while receiving the newly elected members of Kwara State Branch of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), during a courtesy call.

He said government alone cannot develop sports hence the need to involve the corporate sector and encourage them to participate in the development of Nigerian athletes. Kazeem explained that putting more emphasis on competition and not development is the bane of sports development in the country. "We must intensify effort in developing our sports sector; we have a lot to do but we can do more and better in this regard.

"The country is so blessed that it can have a stadium in every local government councils. "If we have stadium across the country, athletes will be busy wherever they live and not necessarily come to the capital. "This means athletes will be busy and engaged which will put them in proper shape ahead of competitions" Kazeem said.

He disclosed that the state government is working round the clock to renovate the State's Indoor Sports Hall and other facilities at the Kwara Stadium complex. Earlier in his remarks, the Kwara SWAN Chairman, Alhaji Abdulwaheed Bibire, said the association is ready to partner the Council to further develop sports in the state. He said the association will not only report activities of the Council alone but will look for sponsors to send some of the council's coaches for refresher courses.

The Kwara SWAN Chairman, added that the association will seek government's attention to discuss ways the Indoor Sports Hall will be renovated and thanked the sports council for its support to the association during their last electioneering period.