The Ondo State Government and its Lagos counterpart have expressed readiness to collaborate to facilitate the development of sports to ensure more talents were discovered for national assignments.
The two states made the resolution in Akure on Sunday, at a maiden meeting to kick-start arrangements on partnership that would benefit athletes from both states.
Bamidele Ologunloluwa, the Ondo State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development and Sola Aiyepeku, the Executive Chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission, represented the states respectively.
Ologunloluwa said the successful hosting of the Aketi Bowl 1 of the Nigeria Secondary School Flag Football (NSSFFL) season 2 atthe Ondo State Sports Complex, birthed the sports development partnership between the states.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that NSSFFL which ended on Saturday was organised by the Nigerian American Football Association.
The commissioner said that such sports development partnership would help in the discovery of talents from both states and make sports a means of engagement, development, self-reliance and source of livelihood for the youth.
Ologunloluwa expressed optimism that the partnership would succeed and also reiterated the readiness of Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s administration to give maximum support to ensure that the partnership achieved its set goals.
“The sports development initiative is a laudable one that will help discover and develop talents in the states.
“We are ready to collaborate because any initiative that will bring development to the youth in our state is always welcomed by us,” he said.
Aiyepeku on his part said that the Lagos State Government was also ready for a robust sports developmental partnership with Ondo State.
He commended the Ondo-Lagos Sports Development Partnership Initiative and described it as a plan coming to life at the right time.
“The Ondo-Lagos Sports Development is a forward thinking development that will help promote interstate competitions and equally necessitate regular sporting activities for talented youths of the states.
“Both states stand to benefit mutually from this laudable initiative,” he said.
Aiyepeku also said that the partnership had set plans in motion for the hosting of interstate competitions in various track and field games and other individual sports in a couple of weeks.
