For the game of tennis to grow in Nigeria, a tennist euthusiast, Sir. Ernest Elochukwu said government should provide tennis facilities in every school either private or public as it is obtainable in most parts of the world.
Sir. Elochukwu a former captain of Port Harcourt Club 1928, Tennis section believes that the game of tennis should be encouraged to grow in Nigeria like football by the government.
According to him, one sure way to achieve that is to include games in the schools curriculum and allow public established corporate entities to sponsor the game to make it interesting for the youngsters to go into it.
Sir. Elochukwu is of the opinion that if government could implement this plan, tennis will run in competitive stance with football in Nigeria, stressing that it will provide them the opportunity to fall back to as a career alongside with their normal educational pursuit. It will also take them away from the street to keep them busy.
Again, it will give them sense of belonging to be focused on what to channel their energy on, meaning that they could become committed members to a particular sport that give them that joy.
If this is done, the youths will be adequately given sense of direction in life as they will always think of how to compete and develop the attitude of winning competition, hence will not have time of getting involved in the common social vices associated with the idle minds of some youths in the society, as their minds will not be pushed to any crime since they have engaged their minds with the issue of playing tennis and winning trophies.
He reiterated that it seems the government has no plan for providing the youths sports facilities in most schools either private or public, this he said has affected the growth of tennis in the lives of students in school saying that as they are graduating from school they ought to have learnt the art of playing the game of tennis.
He pointed out that those who will make a better living could still make a fine living with the game after bagging their degree in their discipline in school.
He appealed to the government to encourage the youths in school to learn the game of tennis like football because it is an interesting game, hence they should provide facilities in schools. ###
