Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi has reiterated the Federal Government’s resolve to continue to provide the enabling environment that would stimulate and promote grassroots sports development in the country.
The Minister gave this commitment on Friday when he played host to the President of the Kasparov Chess Foundation Africa (KCF-A) Grandmaster Garry Kasparov accompanied by the delegation of the Nigeria Chess Federation.
Speaking, the representative of the Minister, Gregory Iyogun, noted that grassroots sports development was at the core of the sports policy driving the programmes and activities of the National Sports Commission.
According to him government would readily support any initiative geared towards the promotion of grassroots development because of the high premium it places on sport development.
“As a key player in the continent, we are luckily endowed with abundant talents which if properly harnessed can put us in the right pedestal amongst the comity of nations. With your assistance Nigeria can extend her frontiers and become a super power in no time in the arena of the game of chess.
Earlier, Grandmaster Garry Kasparov has said that he was in the country to create awareness regarding the pivotal role that chess can play in education and subsequently to advocate for its introduction in the elementary schools worldwide.
He also used the occasion to call on private individuals and corporate bodies to support and collaborate with the government in the promotion of the growth of chess in the country.
“The playing of chess is not the exclusive right of the highly talented or intelligent children in our societies but the benefits of all. He further said that the basic principles of chess is not as complex contrary to the erroneous beliefs of many adding that even a child can learn to play given the right environment.
The KCF had secured sponsors for the take off of Chess in schools programmes in Nigeria which is expected to expose over fifteen thousand nigerian school children to the learning and practice of chess in schools over a period of four years in the first instance.
Other benefits include sponsorship of our top players to international tournaments to get the necessary exposure which most of them presently lack.
The Nigeria delegation was les by the President of the federation Mr. Olalekan Adeyemi
