As the 8th edition of the Anambra State Sports Festival
ends Saturday, the State Governor Chief Willie Obiano has promised to restore
the glorious days of sports in Anambra State when most pioneers of sporting
excellence in Nigeria were indigenes of the state.
Governor Obiano who made the pledge while declaring open the
five-day Sports Festival at the Rojenny Sports Complex Oba, during the week,
expressed confidence that the young athletes who would emerge winners in the
meet would evolve into great sports athletes that would make the State proud in
the National Sports Festival in Calabar.
To ensure sustainable impact, the governor said, “my
administration is adopting three-pronged strategic approach to sports
development which include discovering and nurturing of talents, development of
sporting infrastructure across the state as well as rewarding outstanding
achievements and welfare of Coaches.”
The governor explained that he would also embark on the
restructuring of the states’ sports policy to encourage more sporting
competitions that would serve as talent hunt while the existing sports
facilities in the three Senatorial zones would be remodeled to meet the
dynamics of the time with a view to once-more make Anambra a reference point in
sporting excellence.
Obiano noted that the Sports Festival offers great
opportunity to start the journey of returning the State into reckoning in
Nigerian sports.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Ogbuefi Tony
Nnacheta pointed out that the festival which would last for five days would
feature 23 events.
Ogbuefi Nnacheta explained that athletes from the 21 local
government areas of the State and others from State and federal institutions
would vie for honours at the festival.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor
on Youth Mobilization, Comrade Chinedu Obidigwe noted that sports were an
important and viable aspect of youth development.
Comrade Obidigwe said such festivals would enable states to
harness talents for national and international competitions.
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