Edo State sports restructuring committee appointed by comrade Governor Adams Oshiomole, has recommended the replacement of the Sports Ministry with the sports commission.

It was discovered that the edict being used to govern sports in the state was obsolete in the context of how modern day sporting activities are driven to produce world beaters in global sporting competitions.

According to Ade Ojeikhere, the members identified the bureaucratic bottle-neck in the sports ministry as one of the reasons why sport has not been developed in the state. If Governor Oshiomole accepts the recommendation, Edo would have joined Delta State in scrapping the Sports Ministry and going the way of the national body which replaced the Sports Ministry with the National Sports Commission.

The members observed several overlaps in the workings of the sports ministry and the sport council that served as the cog in the wheel of progress in the administration of the sporting industry in the state.

For instance, the sports restructuring committee members felt that it was a duplication of function for the sports ministry to have a director of sports whilst a similar office exists in the sports council.

In fact, the director of sports in the sports council deals directly with the athletes whilst his counterpart in the sports ministry only treat files sent to him on the athletes from the sports council.

Indeed, the committee chiefs have also resolved to suggest to the comrade governor that the only way that sports can be a credible and viable industry in the state would be for the Pa Michael Imoudu Institute in Afuze to return to the era where it produced physical and health education teachers to teach the games as a curriculum in the respective primary and post primary institutions that are abound in the state.

This way the abundant talents in the grassroots would be taught properly the fundamentals of game and become very good athletes to compete for laurels and honours for the state and the country.