TheCable

Commonwealth Youth Network is all set to launch #Sport4DevelopmentNG advocacy campaign in Nigeria, which seeks to rally support for the Nigeria Sports Bill, aimed at driving development.

John Oluwadero, Africa Regional Representative, Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development and Peace Network (CYSDP) said the campaign will be driven by CYSDP in Nigeria.

“The advocacy Campaign aims at promoting the instrumentalities of Sports as tool for achieving humanitarian, peace-building and development objectives. The Campaign is also designed to mobilize support and actions for the Nigeria Sports Bill,” CYSDP said via a statement.

“The bill, which is sponsored by Hon. Abubakar Amuda-Kannike, aims at advocating for the use of Sports for development and promotion of peaceful co-existence in Nigeria.

“The bill also advocate for the establishment of Sports Institutions and facilities and the establishment of the National Sports Commission.”

The Commonwealth Secretariat through CYSDP and the Commonwealth Advisory Board on Sports (CABOS) have been making tremendous contribution towards advancing Sports for Development and Peace practice in Commonwealth countries.

At the 8th Commonwealth sports ministers meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 4, 2016 sports ministers expressed delight in the 2030 Agenda, which appreciates that sport can be “an important enabler of sustainable development”.

They committed to align sports architecture, and sport-based policy and strategy, to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) framework and associated targets.

CYSDP said the #Sport4DevelopmentNG campaign focus is on advocating that the Nigeria Sports Bill should recognize and adopt  the approved CYSDP recommendation by the Commonwealth Sports ministers at Rio meeting.

“The Campaign is also designed to be an advocacy platform that will synergize support, public awareness, and stakeholders’ engagement towards harnessing the instrumentality of Sports for fulfilling humanitarian, developmental and peace-building objectives. It also aims at the full implementation of the Nigeria Sports bill,” the statement read.

CYSDP is advocating for the full implementation of the Nigeria Sports Bill, as well as to ensure that it goes to a public hearing where it will advocate “that the Nigeria Sports bill make provision for a framework that will ensure the utilization of the instrumentality of Sports towards promoting development, peace-building and humanitarian objectives”.

“That as part of the provisions made by the bill, the government considers establishing a youth sports advisory group that will not only raise the profile of Sport for Development and Peace around the Country, but can bring benefits to existing programs and promote the integrity and good governance in sport.

“Further to CYSDP’s recommendation for the establishment of a National Youth Advocacy Group on Sports for Development and Peace, that a representative of the Advocacy group be represented on the National Sports Commission Board as the voice of young people in Sports administration and SDP practice in Nigeria.”