TheCable

The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) has flagged off an accelerated growth programme to spread the sport to 250,000 youth at the grassroots.

The initiative was launched by the caretaker committee of NCF on Thursday in Abuja, with over 100 kids taking part in an exhibition game hosted to mark the event.

Yahaya Ukwenya, chairman of the committee, who was president of the immediate past board of NCF, said the programme is a continuation of the plan laid down by the dissolved board.

He said the initiative has resulted in the country having three cities with two “world class” cricket pitches. 

“We had an outlined growth plan that we stuck to. The facility was one of the cores of our attention while the four-year tenure lasted and we were at the tail end of it before the board was dissolved,” the chairman said. 

“This phase of development is meant to complement the facility that we have installed. Standard playing surface and access to cricket equipment had posed a huge challenge to the federation for years and we expect this situation to be solved by the accelerated programme,” he said. 

TheCable understands that the committee has employed 37 field officers across the 36 states and Abuja, as well as 2,000 starter’s kids for the officers to run the sport.

On his part, Taiwo Oriss, secretary-general of the NCF, described the federation as the biggest employer of development officers, signifying a huge investment in the advancement of the sport.

“This project ties all our growth agenda together and we have a well-structured team to deliver cricket as a tool for youth engagement and empowerment throughout the country,” Oriss added.