Civil Society Scalling Up Nutrition in Nigeria, CS-SUNN Kano state chapter has called on Nigerian coaches and sports managers to adopt the sourcing and use of locally available organic foods to boost the output of Nigerian sportsmen and women.
Kano state CS-SUNN coordinator, Hajiya Zainab Aliyu, also blamed the short active life span of the majority of Nigerian athletes on their dependence and consumption on wrong food types, which she said are inorganic foods, further stating the adopted habit of consuming inorganic foods by Nigerian local athletes is a major contributory factor to their unceremonious deform and early exit from active stages.
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“our coaches and those charged with the responsibility of developing Nigerian athletes must revert to organic food, they are cheap, healthier and gives more energy to the athletes, also considering that we have them in abundance in Nigeria, they will help our athletes to have longer sporting active years and perform even better because our local foods are highly rich with all the nutrients without adulteration of any kind.”
The chairman National Institute of Sports, NIS, and executive chairman, Kano state Sports Commission, KSSC, Ibrahim Galadima bemoan the neglect of proper dieting and nutrition protocol that is prevalent in the Nigerian sports industry.
Galadima addressing the participants at the one-day event said nutrition must be given adequate emphasis, noting that the performance of athletes is wholly dependent on how they are properly and adequately fed.
He enjoined coaches and athletes to pursue and acquire nutrition-based knowledge adding that the nutritional status of their athletes plays a critical role in determining their [performance.
He advised that there are available local food contents that are rich in vitamins and carbohydrates “ our coaches should acquire the knowledge apply it and also teach their athletes how to source for their nutritional values locally to save cost, the cost is also very important.”Galadima said.
