THE overwhelming applications received from willing and qualified individuals hoping to participate in the new sports associations in Lagos State may have delayed the unveiling of the officials.The Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, Wahid Enitan Oshodi, disclosed that the need to also engage qualified people to handle sports in the state might have also made it impossible for the new board to be unveiled.'The surprising thing about this is that I had felt that within two weeks we would have the association back on board,' he said. 'The reason for the delay is one we are happy about in that we have had overwhelming application from honourable people willing to serve in these associations.'So it behooves us to do a good job in selecting the best people. We have come up with a draft list now and final consultations are going on. We are hopeful that before the end of the year, we will announce that the associations are back on board.'He added: 'Like I maintain, works start in January 2012 and the associations will be made known before the end of the year. The new association is not going to be a jamboree as people get straight into the work and the association will not be a place where somebody can hide.'We will be looking strictly and assessing their performance every six months and if we feel that we can still find better people to serve, we will definitely be changing members of the associations as we go along.'But so far, from the massive number of applications we have received from people to serve, what makes us very happy is that there are loads of competent people, independent and even from our sponsors ' private sector - that have been giving us money but have come forward to serve and to know where their money is going.According to him, ' accountability will be the watchword for the associations. Monies they get from government and private sector will need to be accounted for totally. That is the reputation we have in this government and we must maintain it. I think that is what has caused the delay but before the year ends, they will be constituted.
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