Press Releases

Fashola Advocates Global Peace Through Sports

Mar 15, 2010 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Monday gave a recipe for global peace saying nations of the world could settle territorial disputes through Sports instead of resorting to the use of weapons of mass destruction.

Governor Fashola, who spoke at the Lagos House Alausa while playing host to the President of Clark Atlanta University, Mr. Carlton Brown, who paid him a courtesy visit, said the world would be a happier place if, instead of resorting to the use of guns, territories in dispute could settle such conflicts either on the football pitch or a boxing ring.

“I sometimes reflect about the days of the Matadors and whether or not we can resolve major conflicts with sports instead of with guns”, the Governor said adding, “Why can’t territorial disputes be resolved with the game of football? Let each territory choose its best eleven and we can have a happier and safer world”.

Hoping that the world would get to such a time, Governor Fashola declared, “We will continue to advocate and agitate for a new International Legal Order on how our planet can be regulated for peace and safety”.

“We have seen the clear evidence in sports men and women in business, in government and all other walks of life; people who go out to win but are ready to lose, if they lose fairly, and are prepared to try again”, the Governor said.

According to him, “This is important in how we approach setbacks in life, how we manage elections and other things recognizing that after all, it is a competition and somebody has to lose for another to win”, adding that the Lagos State Government has set about developing young people in the State in Education and their minds in Leadership through Sports.

The Governor said Government is developing such grassroots sports as Volleyball and Athletics but with particular emphasis on Football “because it gives us the opportunity to get as many people as possible involved with minimal facilities”.

Welcoming the partnership opportunity in sports development as offered by the President of Clark Atlanta University, Governor Fashola, however, appealed that such partnership would involve bringing the instructors and expertise to the State to run training programmes locally.

“The reason is that it gives us the opportunity to get the greatest number of students and coaches involved and do whatever we need to do, may be in exchange programmes, for the leadership to undertake the train-the–trainer programme”, the Governor said.

Pointing out that talents abound in the State, the Governor said it is the responsibility of the Government to find how it could fish them out and also ensure that each talent realizes that he or she can only be a sportsman for a limited period of time.

“We aspire to develop like the United States and parts of Europe where Sports has consumed all that it has produced in terms of coaches, commentators and all of that, to take people off the streets, to create jobs, to open an economy and generally raise the standard of living of our people”, the Governor said.

He commended Mr. Brown for his industry and commitment in the management of the University especially in seeing to its continuous growth and academic involvement as they relate to enrolments, attendance and in solving problems relating to students’ housing and others.

“I congratulate you for the great achievement you have recorded there and I hope and pray that you will continue to grow from strength to strength”, the Governor said.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Clark Atlanta University President said the purpose of his visit was to discuss and secure the participation of Lagos State in the proposed Clark Atlanta Plan of the University which involves increasing the participation of Africa in the United States’ higher Education and track field endeavours such as USA versus Africa games.

Brown, who led three other top officials of the University, said the Plan also included preservation and dissemination of heritage of people of African descent with the goal of enhancing and providing services to meet education, cultural and social service needs of the community by maintaining on-going linkages with local, regional, national and international institutions.

According to him, the City of Atlanta offers a perfect site for training in Athletics and other sports and has served the needs of several African nations including Nigeria because of the facilities built when it hosted the 1996 Olympics, adding that the city has continued to give such services after the event.

Pointing out the role of sports in building character and leadership, Brown declared, “History tells us that the leadership of nations, political leadership, business leadership, sometimes emerge from people who have gained the discipline, the character and the strength which come from Sports.

He commended Governor Fashola for the great strides that his administration continues to make in all sectors including sports expressing the hope that the discussion between his delegation and the State Government will result to a fruitful partnership between the two institutions.

Also present at the event were the Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, Commissioner for Youths, Sports and Social Development, Prince Ademola Adeniji Adele, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Barrister Opeyemi Bamidele, his Justice counterpart and Attorney General, Mr. Olasupo Shasore (SAN), Chairman, Lagos State Sports Council, Hon. Agboola Dabiri, Chairman, Lagos State Athletics Association, Professor Tunde Makanju, the senior Special Assistant on Grassroots Sports Development, Prince Wale Oladunjoye among other top government functionaries.