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By Isiaq Abdulhammid
(Balogun Alanamu, Dr. Abubakar Jos, and Rep of Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq at the event.)
Kwara State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has endorsed the newly launched Snooker Club League in Ilorin, describing it as a strategic initiative to engage youths positively and promote sports development across the State.
Represented by the Executive Chairman of the Kwara State Sports Commission, Coach Bolakale Adisa Mogaji, at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Snooker Club League Pioneering Initiative, Governor Abdulrazaq pledged the State’s support for the programme. He said the Government was ready to partner with the organisers to expand snooker game across the 16 local council areas of Kwara.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to youth empowerment through sports, noting that his government would continue to support initiatives that provide young people with opportunities to develop and showcase their talents. He noted that although snooker is not a new sport, he said the league would help popularise the game among youths and bridge the gap between them and the sport.
The Balogun Alanamu of Ilorin, Dr. Abubakar Jos, urged organisers and participants to ensure the league remains free from gambling and betting. Jos warned that the State would not tolerate activities capable of promoting crime or causing unrest, stressing that the initiative should serve as a platform for youth development rather than moral decline. He also commended Governor AbdulRazaq for his moral and financial support for the project, describing him as a youth-friendly leader.
Earlier, the Founder and League Commissioner, Aminullahi Abolaji Issa, said the launch marked the beginning of the State’s inaugural snooker league season, designed to discover and nurture talented players through a Public-Private Partnership with the Kwara State Government.
League Coordinator, Mallam Muhammad Jos Oladapo, added that the initiative had been introduced to tertiary institutions and secondary schools to encourage youth participation and combat moral decadence through sports.
Also speaking, the Kwara State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Alhaji Yakub Ibrahim Abubakar, praised the initiative, expressing confidence that it would contribute significantly to the growth of sports in the State. A stakeholder, Mallam Asinmi Hadi Asileke, described the league as the first of its kind in Kwara and called on the State Government to sustain its support to ensure the programme achieves its objectives.
