Biyi Poroye, the Chairman of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), has reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to revitalising sports within the oil-producing communities of Ondo State.
Poroye disclosed this on Wednesday during a courtesy visit to the management of the Ondo State Football Agency (ODSFA) at the Ondo State Sports Village, Oda Road, Akure.
He announced plans to resuscitate the defunct OSOPADEC Football Club, establish a women’s football team, and renovate abandoned sports facilities within the commission’s mandate area as part of efforts to promote youth engagement and talent development.
Poroye, who also commended the ongoing transformation in Ondo State football under ODSFA, praised the achievements of Sunshine Queens for winning the First Lady Pre-season Tournament, as well as the renovation of the sports village and the re-grassing of the ODSFA pitch.
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“Anywhere football is played, there is joy, you never see people mourning. People cheer, celebrate, and unite through the game,” he said. “At OSOPADEC, we are expanding our focus beyond infrastructure and welfare to include education, training, empowerment, and now, sports development.
“In OSOPADEC, this time around, we have decided to expand. You know, majorly our activities and commitments have to do with infrastructural development, welfare of the people in the mandate area, which you can attest to, provision of education, scholarship, welfare packages, training and all kinds of empowerment.
“But this time around, we have decided that we are going to invest in sport. And if we are going to invest in sport, we are not going to limit ourselves to football alone. But because football has an image that attracts crowds, we cannot but start with you and that’s why we are here today,” he said.
He also revealed that the commission would support not only football and swimming but also extend its focus to other sports such as wrestling and boxing, to provide more opportunities for youth participation.
Divine Ogbonnaya, the Chairman of ODSFA, in his earlier remarks described the visit as “historic” and lauded the leadership of OSOPADEC commitment to sports growth in the state.
Ogbonnaya noted that the passion of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for youth development has made the agency’s work easier, promising that more successes would be recorded in football and other sports in the state.
