Four primary schools in the Federal Capital Territory have received sports equipment funded by the National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF) in the first step of N574 million worth project that will encompass 2,000 public schools nation-wide according to This Day.
Distribution of sports equipment commenced at the Government Science Primary School, Abuja School for the Deaf and Dumb, Abuja School for the Handicapped in Kuje and the LEA Primary School in Gwagwa.
Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund Habu Gumel who is also the President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) explained that the equipment in nine key sports including football and athletics will be parcelled to schools as the country aims to enhance grassroots sports development.
He tasked the schools to use the equipment for specified purpose and ensure they are not sold in open market.
“We have put in place a robust and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system to help the NLTF track the progress of its intervention programmes and, particularly, the utilisation of the sports equipment. This is to ensure that the goals of our projects are met and the benefits continue to accrue to Nigerians.
“From time to time, our monitoring team will visit you for evaluation based on the equipment donated to you. You must make ensure that the materials are not diverted for personal use or find their way into market. These are public properties and our logos are on them,” Gumel said.
Gumel added that the National Lottery Fund will also attach coaches to the selected schools to ensure students are trained on the use of the facilities while he also stated that twenty schools in Abuja, the nation’s capital, will benefit from the project.
The equipment distributed to beneficiary schools included football goal posts, basketball hoops, balls, cones, table tennis boards, but also Badminton rackets specially designed for the disabled.
