Sports
Director Lauds Retirees Over Sports Dev
The Acting Director of Rivers State Sports Council, Mrs Mildred Hart has lauded the orgainsing secretaries of the council for honouring their retirees that have served meritoriously.
Mrs Hart who made the commendation during a sendforth ceremony organized to honour some retirees of the council held at their Conference Hall, Port Harcourt said the ceremony is what doing as the retirees had put in their best in sports development in the state.
She expressed delight that the retirees had laid solid platform that will take sports to greater heights in the country and congratulated them for their gallant services worthy of emulation.
The first female Acting Director of Sports in the council further thanked God that the senior citizens are still looking hale and healthy after 35 years of service and prayed God to also retire them in good health.
In his speech, the Chairman of the occasion, Chief Christopher Chioma described the retirees as solid men of integrity and that although the sendforth is long over due of celebrating but they are blessing to them.
According to Chief Chioma, they have to be celebrated and glorify God because they scaled, through all the challenges while in service and that today they are in a position of trust.
In their separate speeches, retired former Directors of Sports, Hon. Daobu Harvest Harry, Hon. Christopher Fubara, Hon. Nathaniel Piaroana, Mr. Basil Wifa thanked all for their cooperation during their period of service and enjoined them to extend such to the present management for the growth of the council.
They charged the workers to be their brother’s keeper, stop petition writing, be punctual, plan for their future after retirement, be dedicated to work, plan to advance their career, stop parching, leave legacy on the sands of time, aimed at being on the top again during sports festivals and promised to offer their wealth of experience whenever they needed their services, thanking them for the honour while they prayed God to bless them.
In her address, the Head of Department Organising, Mrs Stella Kingoli opined that the retirees who are now senior citizens deserved the honour having sacrificed 35-years to serve the council meritoriously from the department and noted that their wealth of experience had in no small measure taken the council on its fast-track of improvement.
Mrs Kingoli assured them that their priceless efforts would always be referenced and pleaded for necessary assistance. Whenever their services are needed.
The retirees honoured were Hon. Daobu Harvest Harry, Hon. Nathaniel Piaro, Hon. Christopher Fubara, Mr. Benjamin Agina-obu, Mr. C.J. Ebeleogu, Mr. Kala-Alali Dede, Mr. Barisil Wifa, Mr. Ben Stowe and Brown Jauc.
Collins Barasimeye
England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals, plus one from Kingsley Coman, helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph, is full of thanks to God after he miraculously survived another life-threatening automobile accident recent at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV.
Narrating his ordeal, the 51-year-old, who guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.
“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.
This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.
He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.
The former Nigeria international, who also kept goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.
According to him, the owner of the truck said he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.
Ex – Super Eagles of Nigeria, Okwuchukwu Waobikeze has observed that sports development in Nigeria is going down.
According to him, grassroots sports is very important, without it, the administrators cannot get it right. So everybody should key into grassroots sports development, he said.
Waobikeze said this last Wednesday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after the Port Harcourt All Stars Independence football festival (OCTOBERFEST) at the Port Harcourt club, Rivers State.
He explained that for sports administrators to get it right, grassroots development is key. “They should be organising competition at the grassroots level to fish out the young ones for different sporting activities.
“Grassroots sports is very important so the administrators have to go back to the grassroots.
” Sports Development in Nigeria is going down we need to go back to the basics.
“Look at the just concluded Paris Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal.
” Our football team did not even qualify for the Olympics. We are going down.
” If they should go back to the grassroots, they will get young ones in the games and talents will be developed.
” I started from school games, to youth games before playing for the national team. Now everybody wants to fly board to play professional football and a lot do not know the basics of the game.
” A lot of people did not know the little things about the game, they just want to play. It is not done so,” Waobikeze stated.
Kiadum Edookor