Sports
Proprietress Wants Youths Participation In Sports
Proprietress of Premier International School, Wuse 2, Abuja, Ruth Garba, has called on parents to encourage their children to participate in sports for moral and intellectual development.
Garba made the call over the weekend in Abuja during the school’s inter-house sports event.
She said that the call became necessary because most parents do not see sports as an important factor in their child’s development.
She said that the children needed to be encouraged so that they would show interest in sports and eventually grow up to like and participate in it.
“I want to urge the parents to encourage the students to participate more in sports.
“After this event, we will compile the list of the outstanding athletes and encourage the parents to support and promote them.
“This is to ensure that they show interest in sports from this stage of their life and they will grow up with it.
“The problem is that most parents don’t see sports as an important thing in our children’s lives, so with the awareness they will be encouraged,” Mrs Garba said.
The chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Abubakar Suleiman said that the essence of sports in school curriculum was to among other things instil discipline in the children which invariably affects their daily life.
“The essence of sports for children in school is to give them opportunity to excel in whatever field they choose because it takes a disciplined person to do sports.
“And once you are disciplined in the sporting arena, you are expected to take that discipline to the outside world and in your everyday lives,’’ Abubakar said.
A JSS one student of the school, Zubaida Galadima, who won two medals at the event, said that she was encouraged to participate in sports by her parents.
She won gold medal in the 800 metres race and won silver medal in the 400 metres race.
“My parents have been giving me support to take part in sports although I will like to be a veterinary Doctor, but sports is one of my hobbies and I will proudly represent Nigeria if called upon in the nearest future,” Galadima said.
She said that the facilities in the school contributed to her performance, according to her, “I train every time whenever it is time for physical education in school.”
Another student of the school, Ahmed Alhassan in JSS 3, who won gold medals in the 100 metres and 200 metres race, attributed his success to the confidence given him by his coach.
“I feel happy and proud and I want to show appreciation to my coach, Mr Bolarinwa Babatunde, who gave me confidence to do what I did today because it was not easy at all,” he said.
The event, which is the second edition featured sports in march past, 100metres, 200metres, 400metres, 800metres, sack and relay race events.
The students were divided into six colours of houses with each house representing each of the Area Councils in the FCT.
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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