Ministry Of Power, Sports Dominate Civil Service Sports …Win Double Gold, Silver Medals

The Ministries of Power and Sports, have dominated the 2012 edition of Rivers State Public Service sports competitions after claiming the gold and silver medals respectively in the football competition for men and the 4×100 relay race for women.

In the grand finale of the football event, tagged Head of Service, HOS football Cup yesterday, which was part of activities that climaxed the 2012 civil service week celebrations, the Ministry of Power pipped their Sports counterparts  1-0 to emerge first time champions of the four year old competition.

The victory kept the trend of losing finalists in previous edition, going all the way to the title in subsequent edition. Power had lost on penalty shoot out to Ministry of Special Duties last year.

Despite Power dominating the final match at the Liberation Stadium, they only managed to breach Sports net once in the first half and held on till the final whistle to win gold.

The Ministry of Information and Communications had earlier clinched the third place and the bronze medal by edging out the Ministry of Special Duties in the third place match.

In the women’s event, Ministry of Power once again proved their mettle by finishing ahead of the eight qualifiers. Their squad beat Ministry of Sports to the gold medal, while the Office of the Head of Service clinched the third place and bronze medal.

Speaking earlier, the Head of Service, Mrs Esther Anucha, who was supervising the last edition of civil service week celebrations before her retirement later in the year, noted that the football competition which involved 27 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and the relay race served to demonstrate, among other things that team work was necessary for the task ahead in the civil service.

She enjoined participants and supporters to always eschew the win at all cost syndrome and abide by the rules of competition.

Anucha further urged the workers to imbibe the culture of exercising regularly as a way to maintaining good health as well as interest, bond and make new friends while cementing old relationships.

High points of the day include the presentation of medals, trophies and prizes to the top three finishers.

The top three finishers in the football competition earned N250,000, N200,000 and N150,000 prize money respectively while the relay race winners went home with the sum of N150,000, N100,000 and N80,000 as prize money.

The Rivers State Head of Service, Mrs Esther Anucha (2nd left) watches as Commissioner for Sports, Hon Fred Igwe (1st left) presents the 2012 HOS Cup to the captain of Ministry of Power, yesterday at the Liberation Stadium. Port Harcourt