April 22, 2025

Your Excellency,

A CALL FOR URGENT ATTENTION TO SPORTS DEVELOPMENT IN KOGI STATE

I write this letter in a moment of solemn reflection, mourning the loss of a proud Kogite, Retired FIFA Referee Bosede Momoh, who passed on today. Her life of service to our nation through sports, particularly football, deserves to be honoured. I dedicate this letter to her memory and to other sons and daughters of Kogi State who have served, and are still serving, with distinction in various capacities both within and beyond our borders—especially in the world of sports.

Your Excellency, I have heard of the notable strides your administration has made since assuming office. While I am not affiliated with any political party, I write to you as a concerned Kogite who has long followed and supported the growth of sports in our state. It pains me to say that the situation of sports in Kogi State is troubling and in urgent need of attention.

The Confluence Stadium in Lokoja, once a proud symbol of our state’s sporting identity, has sadly fallen into a state of disrepair. Today, it hardly represents the passion and potential that reside in the hearts of our young sportsmen and women. The Prince Abubakar Audu University Stadium in Anyigba has become a fallback option, but it is clear that a more intentional and far-reaching revival is needed.

Across the state, there is a noticeable decline in government-driven sporting activities. Competitions of significance are scarce, and much of what we see are independently organized tournaments in select zones, such as the Igala Nations Cup. While commendable, these efforts cannot replace a robust and strategic commitment by the state to sports development.

Kogi United FC, once a team of great promise, now struggles in the lower tiers of Nigerian football, far from the status it once held. Confluence Queens, our pride in the Nigeria Women Football League, are not reaching the heights they are capable of. At national multi-sport events like the National Sports Festival, Kogi’s performance has remained average, despite the abundance of raw, untapped talent in our communities.

Your Excellency, there is an urgent need for renewed focus, deliberate investment, and political will to reposition sports as a viable tool for youth engagement, empowerment, and development. Our young people are looking for opportunities to express their talents, to rise, and to contribute meaningfully to the growth of Kogi State. Sports offers them that platform—one that should not be neglected.

In honour of Bose Momoh and countless others who have lifted the flag of Kogi State high through sports, I ask: can we not seize this moment to reignite the fire of sporting excellence in our land?

I look forward to your leadership on this matter and hope to see a bold response that signals a new dawn for sports in Kogi State.

Yours sincerely,
Godwin Bamigboye (Spectator)
A proud Kogite based in Abuja