25th November, 2016
Mr Ahmed Gumel, Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund says the organisation has donated sports equipment to 47 public primary schools in Plateau to promote sports development in Nigeria.
The secretary made this known on Friday in Jos.
He said the organisation would distribute sports equipment to 2,000 schools in the country in line with the law establishing the organisation.
According to him, the law empowers it to utilise proceeds from lottery operations to execute developmental projects across the country.
He said lottery fund had been able to utilise the remittances it received from lottery operators and promoters in the country to support many sporting activities.
“ We have been able to support the 9th All African Games in Algiers in 2007; we sponsored the Police West African games in 2009.
“We have also purchased sports equipment for sports like football, basketball, volleyball, judo and hand ball among others to be distributed to 2,000 schools across the nation,’’ he said.
Gumel said the fund generated from the lottery operators could be used to provide low cost housing for communities, build hospitals and schools nationwide and develop water schemes in communities.
He said that the equipment donated to the public primary schools would be monitored at all levels to ensure its safe keeping and prevent its diversion for other purposes.
“ We want its safekeeping and we want to prevent any official from taking the equipment to the market for sale or using it for other purposes,’’ he said.
Also, Prof. Matthew Sule, the Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB), commended the fund for distributing the equipment to 47 schools in Plateau.
The professor said 2.3 per cent of primary schools in Plateau would benefit from the scheme.