The Minister for Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung has commended the National Lottery Trust fund for distributing sports equipment to 2000 public primary schools in the country.
Dalung gave the commendation at the weekend at the Musa Yar’adua Centre Abuja, during a presentation of sports equipment by the National Lottery Trust Fund.
On the occasion, the minister urged the beneficiaries to ensure that the equipment were put to good use. He emphasized the need for the equipment to be directed to and put to use by those it was meant for.
“We must develop structures that would transcend beyond zonal levels and to where the equipment will be distributed. Security agencies must be co-opted and engaged as partners to ensure that these equipment are actually maximized for the benefit of our young sports boys and girls.
“We also want to urge the head teachers and games Masters to use the equipment as national assets and not as government property. We appeal to you to resist the temptation to conspire to pilfer and sell them in the open market” Dalung said.
Earlier, the chief executive of the National Lottery Trust Fund, Habu Gumel, explained that through a comprehensive survey and consultation with stakeholders, 2000 primary schools including special schools for the physically challenged, spread across the six geo political zones in the country will benefit from the distribution of the equipment in line with the Federal government directive for the programme.
According to Gumel, the approach reaffirmed the vision of promoting social inclusion among all Nigerians in a balanced, transparent and cost effective way.
“We have put in place a robust and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system to help the National Lottery Trust Fund to monitor basic schools, to ensure that the items are delivered to their various destinations and not diverted. I call on our stakeholders to further raise awareness on the value of Lottery Funding to modern life and its transformational legacy to the nation, leveraging the evidence based on our intervention programmes. I’m appealing to others to contribute to the federal government project”.
Gumel also commended the National Lottery Regulatory Commission for its commitment and support in the course of regulating the lottery business in Nigeria.
In his address, the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who was represented by the Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, commended the National Lottery Trust Fund for targeting 2000 public primary schools as beneficiaries of the sports equipment.
“I applaud the management of the National Lottery Trust Fund for their good leadership, innovation and pioneering approach in encouraging sports and setting a precedent in the implementation of a worthy course. This worthy course seeks to promote social inclusion through grassroots sports development in the country. Government is aware of the huge potentials of lottery as a revenue earner and its promise for transforming sports, healthcare , public infrastructure and social services.
“Our recent assessment of performance of licensees and other operators in the lottery sector is not encouraging at all. However, Government as a matter of urgency, will revitalize the industry to make it more productive, responsive to the needs of the society and align with the policy of inclusive growth, economic diversification, security, job creation and infrastructural development”.
The equipment distributed to the 2000 public primary schools ranged from footballs, football posts, basketball hoops and balls, cones, table tennis boards and were from the proceeds of the National Lottery Fund in the last ten years.
