Commonwealth Youth Network to launch #Sport4DevelopmentNG advocacy Campaign in Nigeria

 

The Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development and Peace Network (CYSDP) is set to launch the #Sport4DevelopmentNG Campaign in Nigeria. This was made known in a Statement issued by the CYSDP Africa Regional Representative, John Oluwadero.

The #Sport4DevelopmentNG social media campaign is scheduled to commence on Monday March 27, 2017 and will end on Saturday April 1, 2017, ahead of the 2017 International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP).

The advocacy Campaign aims at promoting the instrumentalities of Sports as tool for achieving humanitarian, peace-building and development objectives. The Campaign is also designed to mobilize support and actions for the Nigeria Sports Bill.

The bill, which is sponsored by Hon. Abubakar Amuda-Kannike, member of National Assembly of Nigeria, aims at advocating for the use of Sports for development and promotion of peaceful co-existence in Nigeria. The bill also advocate for the establishment of Sports Institutions and facilities and the establishment of the National Sports Commission.

The social media campaign will be followed by series of media talk engagement (TV and Radio), Advocacy visits and public forums, as Nigeria awaits the call for public hearing for the Nigeria Sports bill by the National Assembly.

The Commonwealth Secretariat through CYSDP and the Commonwealth Advisory Board on Sports (CABOS) have been making tremendous contribution towards advancing Sports for Development and Peace practice in Commonwealth countries. At the 8th Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 4th August 2016 with Nigeria delegation led by the Minister of Youth and Sports; Sports Ministers welcomed recognition in the 2030 Agenda that sport can be ‘an important enabler of sustainable development’. They committed to align sports architecture, and sport-based policy and strategy, to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) framework and associated targets.

The #Sport4DevelopmentNG Campaign focus on advocating that the Nigeria Sports Bill should recognize and adopt  the approved CYSDP recommendation by the Commonwealth Sports Ministers at the 8th Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting in Rio, Brazil. (4th August 2016). 

The Campaign is also designed to be an advocacy platform that will synergize support, public awareness, and stakeholders’ engagement towards harnessing the instrumentality of Sports for fulfilling humanitarian, developmental and peace-building objectives.

With this campaign, CYSDP is advocating for the full implementation of the Nigeria Sports Bill, as well as to ensure that it goes to a public hearing where CYSDP will advocate for the following:

1. That the Nigeria Sports bill make provision for a framework that will ensure the utilization of the instrumentality of Sports towards promoting development, peace-building and humanitarian objectives.
2. That as part of the provisions made by the bill, the government considers establishing a youth sports advisory group that will not only raise the profile of Sport for Development and Peace around the country, but can bring benefits to existing programs and promote the integrity and good governance in sport; and
3. Further to CYSDP’s recommendation for the establishment of a National Youth Advocacy Group on Sports for Development and Peace, that a representative of the Advocacy group be represented on the National Sports Commission Board as the voice of young people in Sports administration and SDP practice in Nigeria.

 How can you get on board?

1. Share: Create awareness and mobilization through advocacy information dissemination to all youth groups and students’ association available on your database.
2. Support the campaign on your social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) by contributing to ongoing conversations using the hashtag #Sport4DevelopmengNG.

Kindly email cysdpafrica@gmail.com  to request for a copy of the Social media Advocacy Guideline, containing specific Tweets and mentions.

3. As an Organisation, support the campaign by serving as an Organising Partner.
4. As an individual, support the campaign by volunteering as a Campus Ambassador or Regional/State Coordinator. 

For more information, kindly visitwww.sport4developmentng.WordPress.com
www.yourcommonwealth.org/cysdp