Juliana Taiwo
8 July 2009
Abuja — President Umaru Yar'Adua yesterday received the Brazilian football legend, Edson Arantes Do Nascimetos, popularly known as Pele, at the Presidential Villa Abuja with a pledge to implement a comprehensive sports development programme in the country. Pele was part of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) delegation led by its President, Mr. Jacques Rogge, who visited President Yar'Adua in his office at the Villa.
Yar'Adua told the delegation that the development programme would involve the provision of sports facilities in all the communities and local government councils, capacity building as well as funding. The plan, he said, is to be developed by the National Sports Commission.
The president regretted that the development of sports has for a long time been ignored in Nigeria and other African countries and said that in Nigeria, "we have realised this. And we are now going to ensure massive investment in sports development." He added that "investment in sports is like investment in education."
The sports development programme, he assured the IOC delegation, would be shared with other African countries and would also require partnership with the IOC and other international sports bodies.
He also pledged his administration's support for the IOC. Turning to Pele, Yar'Adua said, "in any human endeavour, God produces a wonder. And that is what he has done in you."
Earlier, Mr Rogge thanked Nigeria for accepting to host the headquarters of ANOCA stating that "the IOC would support all the efforts of Africa, particularly Nigeria."
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
