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
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.