By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
Honourable Lekan Fatodu, the Director-General of Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), has paid a visit to the mother in a viral video on her daughter’s ordeal to assure her of the Commission’s intervention in the matter as well as prevent similar future occurrences.
A video went viral recently showing a mother expressing her grievances on social media about how her daughter, a Lagos State athlete, was prevented from participating in a crucial sporting engagement due to the actions of personnel of a local government.
Hon. Fatodu, who was at the premises of the woman at Rabiatu Street, Shitta in Surulere, Lagos, assured the family of the Commission’s resolve on the matter; expressed deep concern and empathy, particularly with the young athlete involved and promised immediate action on reaching out to the agency involved.
“The dream of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the mandate of the Commission is to see young talents being discovered in Lagos and nurtured to full potential. So, any action by anyone or an entity that seeks to negate that lofty ambition for youth empowerment through sports will be a massive disservice to efforts on talent development,” Fatodu said.
Hon. Fatodu promised that the Commission would develop a more robust working synergy policy framework among the Commission, other government agencies, parents and athletes to deter future occurrences in that direction.
“I am assuring you of immediate action by reaching out to the government entity involved in the situation to avert future occurrences. We are looking at mid- and long-term responses that will include the activation of a robust policy framework aimed at mitigating similar circumstances, expanding communication channels among the Commission, parents and the athletes to ensure urgent support whenever the need arises, and increasing awareness among MDAs to protect future talents”, he said.
In her reaction, Mrs. Kafayat Oshodi, the mother in the video, while acknowledging the Lagos State Sports Commission as a consistent enabler of the dreams of her daughter and other young athletes, advised that more efforts should be made by the Commission to enlighten other government institutions in the state to avoid becoming a hindrance, especially to girls, or dream crushers to the ambitions of young people.
