The Nigerian Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande Wisdom, has praised the *Play With Kwara Youths* (PWKY) initiative, a program dedicated to promoting unity among Kwara State’s youth through sports. Olawande expressed interest in transforming PWKY into a national platform for youth engagement.
PWKY, founded by Yusuf Mutiu Olaitan, initially began as a small-scale sports festival with 45 participants but has since grown to attract 451 registered participants in its upcoming edition, underscoring its rising popularity and impact. The program utilizes a variety of sports—including football, table tennis, ludo, and scrabble—as means of uniting youth and fostering peace.
PWKY has garnered support from notable Kwara State leaders, including Governor Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Yakubu Saliu Danladi, and the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, among others.
Impressed by the program’s success, Minister Olawande commended PWKY’s innovative approach and requested a blueprint from the organizers to replicate it on a national scale. “This initiative has evolved beyond Kwara and has the potential to become a national model for youth engagement,” he stated.
The PWKY team presenting to the Minister included key members such as Shafihi Abdulrasheed, Ojediran Muyideen, Comr. Tajudeen Habeeb, Shehu Sulaiman, Abdulwahab Habidat, and Muhammed Saeed Osioyemi, all of whom have contributed to the initiative’s achievements.
