Sports
Degema Targets Grassroots Sports Revolution
The Degema Local Government Council, Rivers State is embarking on a robust efforts geared towards rekindling grassroots sports and athletes in the area for maximum impact for the state and nation in no distant time.
These efforts, according to the Chairman of the Local Government Council, Hon. Ibigoni Daddy Pokima, have found expression in the construction of a modern stadium complex with facilities for different sports in Degema.
Speaking on Tuesday during a fact-finding visit by the Rivers State Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Fred Igew, who was represented by the Chairman, Rivers State Sports Council Board, Hon. Charles Paul, Directors and Heads of Departments in the Sports Ministry and Council, Hon Pokima said that the stadium complex when completed would offer the people of the area and the state the facilities to wean their talents and capacity to bring honour and glory to the state.
He said that he invited the Sports Ministry and Council to interface with them and be advised properly on the stadium project to ensure that facilities are standard and built to best specifications.
According to the Council Chairman, he was moved to embark on the project because of his interest in sports and the discovery that Rivers indigenes do not dominate the State’s personnel to major national competitions as before.
Hon Pokima, who was a renowned wrestler in his days recalled, “During out time, all athletes representing the State used to be mostly Rivers people, especially in wrestling and swimming. We can still do it now and produce good swimmers and wrestlers that will haul laurels for the local government and State in competitions.
Also, the stadium complex is geared towards giving the youth a platform to channel their energy by exploring and expressing their talents there. The facility, Hon. Pokima said would serve the surrounding LGAs and the State when the need arises.
The complex when completed will have an 8,000 sitting capacity football stadium, halls for indoor sports like wrestling, table tennis, etc, Olympic size swimming pool, courts for volleyball, handball, basketball, tennis and others.
The impressive football stadium, which is expected to be completed within 18 months is being built to meet international standard with facilities for some track and field events.
Both the Sports Commissioner’s representative, Hon. Paul, Director of Sports, Hon. Daobu Harry and the entourage were highly impressed by what they saw and commended the Chairman for his commitment to sports development.
They urged other council Chairmen in the State to emulate their Degema counterpart and invest in sports development and leave legacies that will empower the youth in their areas.
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.
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