Lagos – Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has called on corporate organisations, especially multinational companies, to partner with the state government in its various community development projects aimed at improving the quality of lives of the residents.
He made the call on Tuesday at Gbagada in Kosofe Local Council Development Area while commissioning the re-modelled Araromi Youth Development Centre donated by the Coca Cola Company Nigeria.
Ambode, who was represented by Idiat Adebule, his deputy, noted that community development projects aimed at improving the quality of living of the people should not be considered as the sole responsibility of government.
While urging other corporate organisations to borrow a leaf from Coca Cola by sponsoring other development projects, the governor assured that his government would continue to provide enabling business environment that would guarantee quick returns on investment.
According to the governor, the commissioning of the re-modelled youth development centre will not only serve the Gbagada community but also join the list of world class sporting facilities available in Lagos.
He stated that his administration “is fully committed” to the provision of sport parks and vocational facilities in public places, so as to revive grassroots, community and school sports, in line with the vision of his administration to take the sports sector to the next level.
The governor expressed optimism that “the effort is yielding positive results, as youths are now being meaningfully engaged” in different communities while indirectly contributing to the growth of the economy of the country rather than roam about or engaging in acts of violence.
“Our plan as a government is to ensure the provision of sport parks and recreational facilities in our communities to revive grassroots, communities and school sports. This is in furtherance of the goals of our administration to meaningfully engage our youths in different communities in Lagos State,” he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, Bhupendra Suri, the managing director of Coca Cola Nigeria, had explained that the organisation, as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR), had continued to adopt strategic grassroots football initiatives aimed at empowering and inspiring teenage players to actualise their dreams.
He noted that “Nigeria is blessed with a lot of young talented athletes, but the opportunity to make some of them maximise their potentials is almost either far-fetched or in most cases non- existent”, adding that his company in a bid to help the country to further develop its grassroots sports, came up with the idea of upgrading selected football pitches across the country.
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