Sports
OVER 200 ATTENDS JEKIRI GIVE BACK BASKETBALL CLINIC
By: Tonye Orabere
Over 200 teens and teenagers attended the first edition of Tonye Jekiri’s Give Back to the Society Basketball camp/clinic, on Wednesday at the basketball court, Niger/Bende Street Old Port Harcourt township.
The three days event witnessed huge crowd, as participants expressed excitement and thankful to the sponsor of programme, Tonye Jekiri.
Speaking at the occasion, coordinator of the programme, coach Fubara Onyanabo, tasked the participants to go beyond Jekiri, adding that they can only achieve that through dedication and hard work.
Coach Onyanabo, narrated how he discovered Jekiri, when he was a teenager.
” I am challenging everyone of you here to go beyond Tonye Jekiri. I saw Jekiri along Abuloma axis in Port Harcourt, precisely 23rd September 2009, and I called him, ask what type of game he play and he said football , I shouted 6ft 11 and I followed him to see his parents, it was then he started playing basketball and today is an international star.
What he is doing today is to give back to the Society. You are aware two months ago he also sponsored a Basketball challenge all are programmes of giving back” Coach Onyanabo said.
He further advised them to also emulate Jekiri in terms of giving back, not only when they become millionaires.
Also speaking, the guest of speaker at the programme, Pastor David Ogundayo, admonished the participants on indiscipline and sexual immorality.
According to him, before one can achieve excellence the person must be humble, avoid been in the company of wicked people and know God through Jesus Christ.
The clergyman made some Bible references to buttress his points. Joshua 1:8, John 1:1, John 3:16, Proverbs 22-29 and Gen. 6:8.
” I advice you today do not pursue success but pursue excellence.
I want tell that you must discover your purpose but no human can discover its purpose without knowing God.
For you to achieve excellence must be disciplined, humble and hard-working” Pastor Ogundayo said.
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.