Sports
RSG Pledges To Support Nigeria’s Scramble Team
Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Sports, Sir Michael Nnodi has said that the state government would assist the seven-man team that will represent Nigeria in the World Scramble Championship in Kenya in November this year.
He stated that the governor of the state, Chief Nyesom Wike is a sports loving person that has special interest in the development of sports, especially, at the grassroots.
Nnodi made the remarks when he received the World Scrabble Champion, Wellington Jighere, a Nigerian from Delta State and his team, on Friday, in his office, in Port Harcourt.
According to him, the state would definitely assist within her limited resources to ensure that Nigeria defends the title.
“On behalf of Rivers State government, I congratulate you in your various achievements, most especially for making the country proud. To emerge as world champion in a highly educative game is commendable.
We will definitely assist you to attend the world championship,” Nnodi said.
The selected scrabble players to represent Nigeria at the forthcoming World Scrabble Championship billed to hold in Kenya, November this year have been in intensive one week camping in the state.
Speaking, the state Director of Sports, Joshua J. Kio, expressed worries that the coach had not groomed much Rivers State indigenes, but said he was motivated by their multiple achievements.
“I expected more Rivers State players to be in the team, however I am motivated by your multiple achievements. I urged the team to put more effort and commitment because it is not easy to defend a title”, Kio stated.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Prince A. Ikolo, who also doubled as the national and Rivers State Scramble Coach appealed to the state government for financial assistance to enable them attend the world championship. Ikolo explained that the players were poised to win the title back to back, as to make history.
“We are going to Kenya to win the title back to back, besides, the seven days camp in Port Harcourt has been so successful”, Ikolo added.
Also speaking at the occasion, the World Scramble Champion, Wellington Jighere further appealed to the state government to help the team in any little way they could to enable them go for the competition.
Tonye Orabere
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.