Plateau State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Comrade Prince Miaphen, has pledged greater attention to grassroots sports development as part of efforts to discover and nurture sporting talents across the state.
Miaphen made the commitment on Thursday when the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Plateau State Chapter, paid him a courtesy visit in Jos.
The commissioner said the ministry would prioritise grassroots development by taking sporting activities to communities and supporting tournaments at different levels of education.
“We said even before now that we’re going to give more emphasis on grassroots development. We will go to grassroots. We’ll support grassroots tournaments from primary, secondary, to even the tertiary institutions, so that we can fish out our best brains, encourage them and support them for the growth and development of our game,” he said.
Miaphen disclosed that the ministry was preparing to tour all 17 Local Government Areas of the state as part of its planned engagement with youths at the grassroots.
He said the initiative would provide an opportunity for the government to interact directly with young people and understand the challenges affecting them.
According to him, developing sports from the grassroots is necessary to build a stronger pipeline of talents capable of representing Plateau State and Nigeria at higher levels.
The commissioner also linked some of the challenges facing Nigerian sports to the neglect of grassroots development.
“Would all agree that even at the national level, Nigerian male team isn’t going to the World Cup, a female team and so many other teams, and if you trace down the dream, you would understand it’s because we have neglected grassroots development,” he said.
He assured sports stakeholders that his administration would work towards improving grassroots participation and creating more opportunities for young athletes across the state.
Miaphen said he had already begun receiving invitations to grassroots football tournaments and other sporting activities across Plateau and expressed his willingness to attend such events whenever his schedule permits.
“I have received couple of invitations for local footballing tournament and other sporting activities, and I’ve indicated interest to attend, be it in Mangu, in Pankshin, in Wase, as long as time permits,” he stated.
He added that the ministry would not limit its grassroots attention to football alone, but would also create opportunities for young athletes in other sporting disciplines.
The commissioner said the overall objective was to identify promising talents early, encourage them and provide the necessary support for their development.
Miaphen called on sports stakeholders to continue providing ideas and information that could help the ministry strengthen grassroots sports development across the state.
He assured them that the ministry was ready to collaborate with stakeholders to create a better sporting environment for young people in Plateau State.