By Abdulgafar Oladimeji in Doha, Qatar
Nigeria’s deputy senate president, senator Barau Jibrin has stepped into the sports sector unannounced with enviable silent achievements that could best create an anticipation of his soonest possible initiation into the hall of fame, which houses those who are meritiously brandishing the prestigious rank of Nigeria’s Pillars of sports.
Barau’s initiation and support to projects in the sports sector in his private and public capacity as senator representing Kano north in the hallowed chambers has continued to attract enviable reactions from millions of sports adherents .
The northern Nigeria sports circle is currently drenched in debates around those dreams that invoke the wonderlands, that where, if every senator and their political peers holding forth at various levels in public offices would resort to constructing one new sports facility or renovate dilapidated ones or upgrade excising ones, today the myriads of challenges associated with the unavailability of sports facilities in northern Nigeria would have been submerged, many averred.
Likewise the mass conviction that with the Barau sports facility development pattern , sports development and promotion in Nigeria could become a corner stone for economic pursuits and possibly make real the agreements reached by president Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his last visit to Qatar , earlier in the year 2024 .
One decade ago, Barau Jibrin, former chairman house of representatives Committee on Appropriation was no where a name that had featured on the lips of critical sports stakeholders and fanatical sports followers or was it known to those following happenings in the sports sector from afar.
Today his door steps play host to regional and national sports administrators in search of guidance nor one form of intervention or the other, that would help move the Nigeria sports sector forward in the axis of promotion or development , checks reveal that sometimes these sports visitors are there to solicit for DSP Barau to become their sports god father.
His name began to shone in the sports horizon, after the establishment of the popular grass root football club known as Barau Jubrin football academy, which was established with the motive to recruit and groom talented children from the streets and renowned football neighborhoods in Kano into an elite football development environment .
Barau proceeded to become a sports development giant with what is now described as the wonders of Kano sports, when he kick started the construction of 13 stadiums in all the 13 local governments that constituted his Kano north senatorial jurisdiction.
Our correspondent who toured the stadiums reports that works in some of the facilities have reached an advanced stage.
A close ally to the senator, involved in the execution of the stadium projects , Ado Rabiu Dan Bayero, who took this reporter round Maliya stadium in Dambatta, said the investments into the construction of the stadium runs into mouth watering millions of naira.
Dan Bayero as he is preferably called , said that Barau has never hidden his love for sports and youths developments, adding that, they were under strict instructions from DSP not to default in working day and night to see that the projects come to see the light of the day, hence meeting Barau’s mission of reaffirming the status of Kano, as the hub of sports development and promotion in northern Nigeria.
He revealed that the football playing ground axis of the facility is comfortably seated on silka sand and granular on 6, 800 metres land space .
The representative of Kano north in the state football association, KSFA, Hassan Garo, who is overseeing ongoing works in the stadiums, responding to questions from this reporter, simply said, so far so good “ Allahamdullilahi”
He said works in some of the stadium facilities are at completion stages, saying , stadiums like Dambatta, Bichi and others could now be designated to play host to major football and other sporting events.
Garo said “firstly let me thank most distinguish senator Barau Jubrin, for, what he has achieved for sports in Kano and Nigeria in general, with these new stadiums, now located in 13 local governments in Kano, I think, if you know the importance of stadiums in sports, then you will see reasons, why we have will applaud and commend DSP Barau.
“it is right to at this point to say that any region with the number of our youths and sports lovers in Kano, without a stadium is like a city without an hospital or police station, that city for sure you know is doomed.”
“these stadiums in their locations will boost economic activities, create jobs for our communities, help to fight anti social vices and will help social integration, tourism and hospitality, businesses in the areas will benefit immensely, likewise many more other benefits that will trail these new developments to the stadium beneficiary communities .
“these stadiums, as you can see all have a unique design, they have football playgrounds with standard turf of the best quality, that you can find in the market, the football ground has all the required features and markings.
“the stadium has a fans stand, VIP seating pavilion, media gallery, media cubicle, technical area, public addressing system and the required fencing, aside that the complex as a whole has a multi purpose sports hall, an administrative block for members of staff of the stadium management team, security post for the police and NSCDC personnel and a large parking lot.”
“it has a match commissioners room, referees room, rooms for the home and away teams, media offices, medical facilities in line with the set out standards, also we have adequate number of rest rooms, in all the areas as required by standards.”
Garo further said “lest I forget, we have restaurants, likewise outdoor basketball , volleyball and handball courts all within these new facilities .
“the stadiums are powers by solar system, standby generators, provisions of bore holes, giant overhead water tanks and drainage systems.”
“ it will amaze you, on the number of visitors or do I call them tourist, who visit these stadiums to see things for themselves and also to take pictures and have social fun around the facilities, it is really getting interesting.”
Our correspondents who visited Dambatta and Bichi reported that each of the new stadium facilities are sited on the sparse covering approximately about 42, 500 square meters of land .
A source, who confided in this reporter disclosed that former Kano state commissioner of youths and sports, now legislative aide on sports to the deputy senate president, comrade Kabiru Ado Lakwaya, is on the fore of pursuing the task to ensuring that the project sees the light of the day .
The Barau Jibrin sports recipe are evident in the recent qualification of an NLO side, Barau fc to the second most prestigious league in Nigeria, NNL.
Spear heading the campaign that resulted to the promotion of our NLO club to NNL came with huge financial and human resource, spendings and management skills, thanks to our financier DSP Barau and the club chairman, Ibrahim Chanji the club spokesman, Hamisu Gwale said.
He added that the NNL debutants will carryout their campaign at one of the newly built stadium named Maliya stadium in Dambatta.
Hamisu seized the platform to applaud DSP for the recently held ceremony , where brand new motorcycles were gifted to the club players and officials by DSP Barau in fulfillment of his promises, if they promote the club to NNL.
A freelance sports journalists attached to Kano based public owned media outfit has revealed that DSP has been and remained a strong supporter in the affairs of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria.
The source said “the last SWAN Full council meeting in Kano Barau through comrade Kabiru Ado Lakwaya played a very vital role in making sure Kano state hosted the national SWAN event in May 2024.
“as I speak to you, SWAN Kano are on the list of those groups that will benefit from the next distribution of operational vehicles that will be donated by DSP to public interest groups.”
“I think, SWAN Kano is enjoying massive support from DSP.”
Many opine that Barau’s attitude and commitment to sports project is changing the narratives of sports development in Kano, which was and still remains the undisputed hub of sports in northern Nigeria,regardless of its long suffering from abysmal state of sports infrastructure in the state.
Barau’s intervention could be a wake up call, a toast, a challenge , one fact remain judicious, Barau Jibrin’s stadium projects is a clear pointer to the rising of Barau as a sports development star, now in the block , who has risen from the east, whom sooner or later maybe be dressed by constituted sports authorities in the highly revered robe of the pillar of sports in Nigeria. If he sustains the momentum.
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