Sports
C’River Redeploys Facilities At UJ Esuene Stadium Nigeria 2009 fallout
The Cross River Government has begun the redeployment of facilities installed at the U.J. Esuene stadium, Calabar for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria in 2009.
Calabar was one of the eight centres used for matches in the tournament, held between October 24 and November 20.
The state Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Chief Raymond Obeten, confirmed the redeployment of the facilities.
Obeten said that power inverters and some computers installed at the media centre of the stadium had been moved to the ICT unit of the governor’s office.
He also said that a 1000-KVA generator used for the competition had been returned to Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort from where it was taken.
The five ambulances bought for the tournament have also been moved to some health facilities, while the CT SCAN and MRI machines are at the General Hospital, Calabar, the commissioner said.
He said the government intended to use the computers and inverters to improve operations at the training school of the ICT department.
“After satisfying the needs of the ICT department, we still have some computers and laptops left. We are working out a programme to make them useful to the people,” he said.
Obeten said that the redeployment of the facilities would enable the state to enjoy the benefits of hosting the tournament.
“We had said that hosting the championship would be beneficial to the state beyond the requirements of FIFA.
“It is more or less central to the growth of some sections of our social services infrastructure.
“Now that FIFA is gone, you can be sure that the facilities are available to serve our people. So, that is why the facilities are being redeployed,” he said.
Two days after the conclusion of matches at the centre on November 9, last year, some persons who claimed to be acting on orders removed some air conditioning units at the health centre of the stadium.
Those removing the items told some state LOC members and stadium workers that the orders came from the tournament’s coordinator of the health centre and the state commissioner for sports.
The commissioner then confirmed that the air conditioners were not on the list of items sent to the Calabar centre by the central LOC in Abuja.
He also said that before giving permission for the items to be removed from the stadium, he cleared with relevant authorities at the central LOC.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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