I’m Not Investing In Grassroots Sports Devt For Personal Gain – Gara Gombe

The initiator and sole financier of the Gombe Inter Secondary School Athletics Championship and Principal’s Cup, Hon. Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe, declared that his purpose of organising the competitions is not to use it to seek political office but for national interest and development of teeming youths in Gombe.

Speaking to journalists on the side-line of the competitions which kicked off on Tuesday at the Gombe Stadium Pantami, amidst funfair, Gara Gombe emphasized that he is not investing in sports grassroots development for personal gain but to serve the country, help the youth discover their God-given talent and empower them for the benefit of their family and the society in general.

“People like me are not in sports to take but to give. I’m not acting on any budget but using what God has given me to sacrifice it for these young kids. Sports has become a multi-billion dollar industry and I want to inform you that one of our sports veterans is on his way to Gombe here to partake in the football event, Principal’s Cup.

“He is coming here to scout players who will excel in the competition for training in Germany, and successful ones will be given automatic scholarships to study and play football in Germany,” Gombe said.

Gara-Gombe, who is the chairman of Gombe State Athletics Association (GSAA), frowned at the lack accountability and transparency in Nigeria’s sports management and vowed to use the annual Gombe State Inter Schools athletics championship and football competition, Principal’s Cup, to win the confidence and trust of corporate world back to sports in the country.

‘I’m not doing all these for personal gain, I’m interested in any political office. What we are doing here is grassroots competitions and we want to use it to build an institution. We are putting records of all we are doing together, and whether individuals or government support us or not, I will look for either a national or global brand that can come and partner with us in future, at least to defray some of our costs.

‘Unfortunately, many sporting events are happening in this country without accountability, transparency, good governance and management, which has scared sponsors away from sports. But we want to use this kind of grassroots event to regain the confidence and trust of the corporate world who will come and sponsor sports in Nigeria, and we are starting it from Gombe,’ Gombe added.

He however commended the Gombe State’s commissioner for education, Dr Aishatu Umar Maigari and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), for their unwavering support given to the championships.

‘I want to use this opportunity to thank the Gombe State Ministry of Education, particularly, the commissioner for education, Dr Aishatu Umar Maigari, for all the support she has given me to do this competition, but the State Ministry of Sports is a total disappointment. After this event, I’m going to do a special press conference on all they did to frustrate me from holding this event.’