Lifting of Sports Ban: Are Praises Sports Minister

  Lifting of Sports Ban: Are Praises Sports Minister .... Charges Media On Effective Coverage And Reporting By Taofeek LAWAL The Director of Grassroots Sports Development, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, Dr Ademola Are, has described the decision by the Federal Government to lift ban on sports in Nigeria following the outbreak of Covid-19 in March, as a welcome development, BSNsports.com reports. Are commended the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, who he said made necessary contacts and ensured that sports eventually resumed. "It is a very good development for Nigerian sports and football lovers all over the world," he said. Are said now that sports is back, the media should take up the full responsibility for effective coverage and reporting of sporting events across Nigeria. His words, “The bulk of the assignment now rests with the media especially television, because it has been noted that there will not be spectators. This is to further buttress the fact that we are not yet free from Covid-19. The media people must be up and doing and beef up their social responsibility to members of the public. They may not be everywhere to cover most of these football matches, but the media must play the major role of ensuring that the people at home who cannot come to the stadium can actually see what is happening at the various stadia in the country. So it is not just lifting the ban but it is for everyone of us to be up and doing in our responsibilities to ourselves." Are expressed the readiness of the sports federations for full resumption and added they are expected to follow all COVID-19 protocols as stipulated by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). "The various sports federations will key into what the honorable minister has said. The minister has told us that through his contact, the PTF, the Presidency, Ministry of Health and other stakeholders that we can now go ahead. The main thing is for all the federations to key into the protocols and ensure that in as much as we want to see our athletes and our sports back, we have to do what is expected of us to ensure the safety of these children, the safety of the elite athletes and the safety of the officials who are going to be there (sports venues). So it is very important that all of us should wake up and do what is necessary so that Nigerian sports can take its rightful place in our day to day activities.