Sports
C’River Redeploys Facilities At UJ Esuene Stadium Nigeria 2009 fallout
The Cross River Government has begun the redeployment of facilities installed at the U.J. Esuene stadium, Calabar for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria in 2009.
Calabar was one of the eight centres used for matches in the tournament, held between October 24 and November 20.
The state Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Chief Raymond Obeten, confirmed the redeployment of the facilities.
Obeten said that power inverters and some computers installed at the media centre of the stadium had been moved to the ICT unit of the governor’s office.
He also said that a 1000-KVA generator used for the competition had been returned to Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort from where it was taken.
The five ambulances bought for the tournament have also been moved to some health facilities, while the CT SCAN and MRI machines are at the General Hospital, Calabar, the commissioner said.
He said the government intended to use the computers and inverters to improve operations at the training school of the ICT department.
“After satisfying the needs of the ICT department, we still have some computers and laptops left. We are working out a programme to make them useful to the people,” he said.
Obeten said that the redeployment of the facilities would enable the state to enjoy the benefits of hosting the tournament.
“We had said that hosting the championship would be beneficial to the state beyond the requirements of FIFA.
“It is more or less central to the growth of some sections of our social services infrastructure.
“Now that FIFA is gone, you can be sure that the facilities are available to serve our people. So, that is why the facilities are being redeployed,” he said.
Two days after the conclusion of matches at the centre on November 9, last year, some persons who claimed to be acting on orders removed some air conditioning units at the health centre of the stadium.
Those removing the items told some state LOC members and stadium workers that the orders came from the tournament’s coordinator of the health centre and the state commissioner for sports.
The commissioner then confirmed that the air conditioners were not on the list of items sent to the Calabar centre by the central LOC in Abuja.
He also said that before giving permission for the items to be removed from the stadium, he cleared with relevant authorities at the central LOC.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.
