Honourable Wasila Adefemi Adegoke is the youngest commissioner in the cabinet of Governor Seyi Makinde. She is in charge of youth and sports in Oyo State, in this interview with YINKA OLADOYINBO, she speaks on how she has been handling issues relating to the youth, efforts at making the state regain its lost glory in sports and the turnaround of the Shooting Starts Sports Club (3SC). Excerpts:
How have you been able to handle your appointment as a commissioner in Oyo State?
I give glory to the almighty Allah for the opportunity to serve and a very big thank you to Governor Seyi Makinde who deemed it fit to appoint someone like me, considering my age and my background, into this position. It is a big opportunity for me to serve and with his full support. Since I assumed duty, it has been a thing of joy for me because the man we are working with has made it easy for us to serve the people. I love being in this position. Definitely, we face challenges but we are able to overcome those challenges. Today it has become part of me, my first six months were very tough but now, I am used to it and everything is going on fine.
As the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, how well have you been able to deal with your major constituency, which is the youths that many people believe are difficult to deal with?
Yes, we are difficult because I am part of them. There is an adage in Yoruba which says “Ode iwoyi lo mo eranko iwoyi le”, meaning it is only a youth that can handle issues that concern the youth and that is what the governor wanted to achieve by putting the youth into this office because my predecessor is also as young as I am. It is always amazing dealing with the youth because whenever I speak, they want to listen to what someone of my age wants to say, every one of them wants to be like me. So, that gives them a calm mind. I can say we the youth are difficult but with this position, it has been very smooth for me.
What are the innovations and achievements that you have brought into this office since you were appointed?
We should not forget that I am not only the commissioner for youth, I am also the commissioner for sports. We have identified talents among our youths. Starting from youth empowerment, when I assumed office I wrote the governor that I would like to commence an empowerment programme for our teeming youths and we started with 500 youths. We trained them in different skills and after the training, we were able to identify where they are good enough. To the glory of God, the consultant that we worked with came with different sets of people with different skills and along the line, everybody was able to identify what they can do and now they are awaiting their starter packs because we promised to give them the starter packs that are related to their skills. We have also trained 1500 of our youth in Information Communication Technology, basically on digital marketing and coding and after the training we gave them certificates because it was a six-month training, with internship where we went to monitor them. We also had our international Youth Week, which is a nationwide event and during the celebration, we visited the Correctional Centre at Agodi and we discovered talents there. Despite being in a secluded environment, they were able to bring out their potentials and we engaged the controller there to see how we can collaborate to make the people turn their talents to money. So for those engaging in tailoring, we gave them sowing machines and we did some programmes other fields as well, although we have not finished. Within that one week, we also assembled over 300 youths where we trained them on what politics is all about, how they can navigate when they are in politics. Some of the people we trained have been appointed as Special Assistants or Supervisory Councilors in various local governments. So our youths are benefiting in many ways under this administration.
How did you pick the beneficiaries of your programmes; was it based on party affiliation and how are you ensuring that the efforts are not wasted?
We are sure that the beneficiaries of the programmes are not wasting the opportunities. Like I said, they did internship and it is those ones that we know are fully on ground and utilise the opportunity that we award certificates to. It is those that benefitted that have been calling us that they have other people that wanted to partake in the subsequent programmes, I can say they are doing fine on their own. For the 500 that underwent training in different skills, we want to give them starter packs in the form of money so that they can start small-scale businesses. Some of them learned how to rear pigs some learned how to make garri and some other things and before one can start business, you must have a little amount of money. Also in picking the beneficiaries, we make sure that they are not members of the PDP alone, it was opened to everybody, even those that do not know anybody in government because we opened a link like a website where everybody registered, and when we got the number that we wanted we closed the portal and invited all of them to come with their credentials. We did screening and after the screening we divided them to their various local government. When we discovered that going to the 33 local government areas for the training may not be easy we did it at the zonal level, Oke Ogun people converged on NYSC camp, Iseyin, Ibarapa zone met at Igboora, Ibadan people converged on The Polytechnic, Ibadan campus, Ogbomosho had their own inside the Ogbomosho south local government secretariat. So that was how we were able to achieve our aim, we camped them for the training. PDP members were there, but many people that are not PDP members and those that are neutral also benefitted even more than PDP members, so we didn’t do it on the basis of political affiliation. The same thing is applicable to the 500 applicants that went for the training. That is how we have been doing our programmes since I assumed office we have a website for the ministry and also a personal website that is being run by the MIST at the Governor’s office.
Oyo State used to be a force to reckon with when it comes to sports but it is like the reverse is the case now. What are you doing to develop sports in the state?
I make bold to say that sports in the last one year in Oyo state has become what people develop more interest in, I said that because when I assumed office, the condition I met sports was somehow but the trend is changing now. Let me start with the Shooting Starts Sports Club. We saw that last season the club finished at third position and this time around, we are going continental by the grace of God and in the last 15 years, I don’t think they have that record. Being a woman does not mean I am not active. Though I am not a sports person from the beginning, when I got this position, I had to blend to the work, I have been engaging people that are professional in this field, seeking advice and we are achieving. For the National Sports Festival, we have added seven sporting activities that we didn’t have before and we have more athletes that are interested. At the national level, if they demand for a particular sport, it is only Oyo State that won’t be left out we have everything it takes to compete at the highest level. We went to the sports festival and we finished at the sixth position and before now, the last record we had was 12th, so from 12th position to sixth, I think we are moving forward. We are fully prepared for the coming National Sports Festival that Ogun state is hosting. We will be leaving for elimination stage by February 15. So, after the elimination, we will be able to identify the sports that we will take part. So, sports generally are developing in Oyo state, not only football, but also other sports, if you get to the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, you will see our youths training every day.
Also when I came, I discovered that we didn’t have a female football team. Even before the NPFL wrote us that all NPFL teams must have female team, the governor has approved that we should scout for female footballers and now, we have our team ready and we are waiting for a date that we will invite NNL representatives, NPFL representatives and others to unveil our team.
What will you say were responsible for the feat that 3SC is achieving presently?
Like I said, for many years. Shooting Stars have been performing badly, they either end at 6th, 10th position and sometimes on the verge of being relegated, but with the help of God and that of the governor we are able to end the last season on the third position and this season we believe we will play continental football next season. I have had a closed-door meeting with the management, especially the chairman and we are having a very cordial relationship, we understand ourselves and that is what is bringing the success we are having now. Coach Gbenga Ogunbote is well known in Nigeria, we identified him and we are able to meet with his needs and we allow him to do his job, we don’t dictate to him. If he comes with any player, my only question is “are you sure this player can deliver?”. Saying yes is what we want. His performance so far is amazing; giving him the opportunity to do his job is helping the team. When the team started the season, it was somehow because almost all the players are new and he assured us that by the time they played three or four games they would blend.
What special efforts are you making to identify and develop the sports that Oyo State has comparative advantage in?
Let me start with basketball, with the help of our governor’s daughter who loves basketball so much, the NBA came to Oyo State and we were able to discuss on how to develop the game. The people said they have met many players that are from Oyo State origin but the only thing that remains is their development, so as at now we have a good relationship with the NBA and we want to start the development of the sport. Apart from that, we also have boxing, we have realised that even our girls are interested in boxing. Just last year, we discovered that a lady was fighting on the street, we invited her and the father, also has three other girls fighting on the street and he was making money from their street fights. But we made the father to realise that it was wrong for him to turn the girls to street fighters and out of the four children, we were able to identify one that has the real potential. Today, many private boxing bodies have been calling us to release the girl for them because we took her to the youth games and she won bronze in her first-time fight in the ring. So if she continues with her training, and we continue to help and support her, I believe she can do better.
What are the plans for the development of Oyo State youths in the next two years to make them compete favourably with their peers across the country?
This year we are starting with a youth summit that will attract international participants to give opportunity for our youths that have interest in diaspora business We want to expose them to international opportunities because I am sure we have the youths that can deliver and compete at any level.
Credit: Tribune
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