Festus Akingbaso,a lawmaker from Idanre constituency has pledged to rebuild Idanre football pitch, located at the Federal Technical College in the town.
Akingbaso,made the pledge while speaking at the closing of the maiden edition of Fessywest Football Cup competition in Idanre.
The lawmaker said he was not impressed with the state of the football pitch that had hosted and groomed many footballers who started their career in Idanre before moving to the national level.
Akingbaso said that he would have commenced the work on the pitch immediately, adding, however, that with the projects he was currently embarking on in the local government area, it would start in the next three months.
12 teams participated in the competition, with Idanre United defeating Idanre United II by 4-3 on penalty, after ending the 90-minute regulation time 1-1.
“This school used to be very popular, particularly when it comes to sport, but today, it has become something else. If you look at the environment, you will see that it is very dirty. This is due to long years of neglect by government.
“That is why I have decided that within the next few months, I will turn the football pitch to a mini-stadium,” he said.
Akingbaso, after presenting the 12 teams that took part in the football tournament with trophy, medals and cash prizes, also promised to assist the referees and football administrators in Idanre with a bus to ease their operation.
The lawmaker assured that the football competition would not only be sustained, but it would be organised annually, pledging that the talents discovered would be exposed to international football clubs in Europe for trials.
“My aim of sponsoring this kind of event is to promote and develop the sport skills of the youth.
“Most of the youth in this area love football. What they need is somebody that will sponsor and promote them, because we do not want them to limit their talents to their local domain.
“By the time we discover them, we will finance them to better club sides abroad with a view to empowering them and their families,” he said.
Chairman of Idanre Football Council,Tokunbo Akinylure, who had earlier requested for a “party-free” football pitch, expressed appreciation to Akingbaso for the promise to improve the pitch.
Akinylure, represented by his deputy, Henry Afolabi, appreciated the lawmaker for coming back to the grassroots to boost the morale of young footballers and empower them.
Also speaking, the lawmaker representing Akoko North-East Constituency, Mr Rasheed Elegbeleye, commended his colleague, describing him as a hardworking politician who had used his personal resources to assist his people.
