Former President Goodluck Jonathan has advocated for the establishment of a special trust fund to cater for retired sportsmen and women who have brought pride to the country.
Jonathan stated this while performing the groundbreaking ceremony of a 25,000 capacity stadium at Igbogene in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital, as part of activities marking Governor Douye Diri’s 5th year in office.
During the ceremony, Jonathan emphasized the need for sports administrators, both national and state, to establish funds to cater for sportsmen and women who have brought pride to the country.
“Developing sport is not about encouraging people to go and win medals, but I always feel sad when I see people who have promoted the name Nigeria and gone for international games, either the Commonwealth or Olympics, and win medals, immediately, there are all kinds of ceremonies but after that, they are forgotten,” Jonathan said.
He noted that many Nigerian athletes who have won international medals are often left to beg after their retirement.
“After some years, some of them become almost beggars, even to feed, and that doesn’t encourage young people to put all their lives into sports,” Jonathan added.
Jonathan advocated for a fund to be managed by reputable individuals to support athletes throughout their lives, even after they retire from active sports.
“So, I feel that as a country, we must have a fund to be properly managed by people, so that anybody who has made a name in a sport, that person will not be a beggar till the person dies,” he said.
Although he was unable to launch such a fund during his presidency, he urged the chairman of the National Sports Commission to consider the idea, which could also be implemented at the state level.
“We must make sure that anybody who made the country proud should be taken care of until that person dies, and that will encourage young men and women to invest 100 per cent of their skills and lives into sports,” Jonathan emphasized.
However,Jonathan commended Governor Diri’s vision and leadership, expressing hope that the stadium project would be completed within the 24-month target.
He further said “I am very hopeful that by February 2027, I will escort President Tinubu down to commission the sports complex… Let me again congratulate you, your vision, your leadership, my governor, and the people who are here to assist you with this project.”
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