By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON, Kaduna.
Kaduna State would not relinquish its number one position as the grassroots sports hub of the country to any state, Commissioner of Youth Sports and Culture, Mr. Daniel Danauta has assured.
He gave the assurance while speaking during an interactive session with the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Kaduna State Chapter at his office in Kaduna on Tuesday.
He explained that historically, Kaduna has been at the forefront of churning out talents from the grassroots, and it is evidenced by the number of internationally recognised talents that were discovered from the state.
Danauta stressed that in view of the importance the Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i attaches to sports, his ministry has lined up several meetings with stakeholders aimed at ensuring that what has been achieved in the past by consolidating on the successes.
The Commissioner added that SWAN is an important stakeholder that cannot be overlooked when looking for ways of improving sports, in view of their important role in enlightening and informing the public.
In his remarks, Kaduna SWAN Chairman, Mr. Isaiah Benjamin assured the commissioner of the support of his members in publicising the activities of the ministry.
He recalled that at the recent National Youth Games held in Ilorin last year, Kaduna SWAN projected the state positively.
Benjamin however frowned at the absence of the Kaduna State Governor at the association’s WEEK held last December, where he was also billed to be awarded for his positive contribution to sports development.
“We were disappointed when the Governor was absent and the representative he sent also failed to turn up. We sent a follow-up letter to him, but we are yet to get any sleep response,” he said.
Also in attendance were the Director of Sports, Yusuf Yamai Joshua, SA Sports to the commissioner, Mukhtar Mohammed, PRO of the Ministry, Zakari Haruna Isah, Acting Director of Sports Technical, S.I. Kariyik and the Zonal Secretary SWAN North West, Abdulraheem Aodu.
