By Hananeel Jackson

Stakeholders in Sports in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital have advocated the immediate resumption of sporting activities in the country especially the Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, Best Choice Sports can report

Football and other sporting activities were suspended indefinitely in March this year in a bid to curb the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged the world.

The minister of Youth and Sports Mr. Sunday Dare last month said only non contact sports like table tennis, lawn tennis, track and field would be allowed to return, while team and contacts sports would still remain on hold. 

Reacting to the development, the Secretary of the Bayelsa State Football Association Mr. Diseye Nwankwe explained that the absence of sporting activities in the country was having negative effects on the players.

He noted that with the gradual ease down of the lockdown and the low cases of corona virus recorded of recent, it was imperative to restart the Nigeria Professional Football League that was suspended four months ago.

Another sports administrator and a former Chairman of Bayelsa Queens Mr.Tarilaye Nwankwe said the pandemic did not only affect football in the country but took a toll on small and medium scale enterprises around the stadium.

He pointed out that in some developed countries, the football economy contributes massively to the Gross Domestic Product GDP of those nations.

Mr. Nwankwe called on the COVID 19 Presidential Task Force PTF to workout modalities for football competitions to resume following the conclusion of the various European leagues.