By Mustapha Yauri

Mr. Sunday Dare, Minister of Sports, Youth and Social Development, has urged higher education institutions to review and update the training curriculum for physical health educators to tap into entrepreneurial opportunities in the sport.

The Minister made the call during the 50th National Conference of the National Association for Physical Education, Health, Recreation, Sports and Dance (NAPHER-SD) in Zaria.

The conference was entitled: “Business potential and tapping in the profession of physical education, health, leisure, sport and dance”.

The minister said the draft National Sports Industry Policy developed by the ministry in conjunction with the Nigeria Economic Summit Group has upgraded sports from leisure to business.

Dare, represented by Professor Olawale Moronkola, Chief Executive of the National Institute of Sports, said the intention of the policy was to transform sport into a vehicle for empowerment, development and growth through the program of industrialization of sport.

He therefore described sport as an important business with many entrepreneurial opportunities to be explored in the areas of sales and marketing (products, rights and services) and the management of fitness/gym centres.

Other areas include sports media, sports equipment manufacturing, sports clubs and consultancy services, among others.

The minister, who reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing an enabling environment, urged higher education institutions to adapt their curriculum to new trends in the sector.

Earlier, Professor Rafiu Okuneye, President of NAPHER-SD, said the theme of the conference was a wake-up call; the association believed and clung to it.

“Through this forum, the association would strengthen the spread of the fact that sport is a business, leisure is a business and dance is a business. Now is the time to identify and explore all the business potentials of our profession,” he said.

Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Professor Kabiru Bala said that physical education is one of the disciplines with many employment opportunities such as teaching, coaching sports, sports management and exercise science, among others.

Bala, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Studies, Professor Danladi Ameh, said there was a need for a transparent and credible way of engaging the private sector to collaborate and guarantee deliverables to practitioners in the sector.

For his part, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima, President of the National Sports Institute, also urged the association to redouble its efforts and work closely with state governments to revive sports in primary and secondary schools.

“We used to have physical education and later physical health education, but that component of education has almost disappeared in schools.

“Go to our primary and secondary schools, you won’t see any facilities for physical education or physical health education classes.

“I think this association has a role to play in bringing that lost glory back to schools,” Galadima said.

He also charged the association to have strong and vibrant state chapters with a view to promoting sports and education to enable the younger generation to bring together strong education and sports.

He said the association, together with its key stakeholders, must do more to promote sport and education to harness the commercial potential of sport. (NOPE) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

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