Sports
Stakeholders To Brainstorm Over Rivers Sports Policy
Stakeholders I the sport industry in Rivers State are set to brainstorm on ways and means of taking the sector to another level in s sport summit to be hosted by the state government in about a month time.
Chairman of the board of Rivers State Sport Council, Charles Paul made this known while fielding questions from newsmen, during the Port Harcourt centenary marathon recently.
According to the chairman, Government has decided that since Port Harcourt city has grown to the level of 100 years, it would host a sport summit that would come up with a comprehensive sports policy for the state in the course of its centenary celebrations.
Paul said that Port Harcourt has been a hub for sporting activities, development of athletes and social recreation.
He, however, noted hat it was time for the process of developing and promoting sports be retooled, so that there would be a blue print to take the sector above the level it is at currently.
He explained that views would be collated from every quarter including technocrats, public and private sectors, media, athletes, schools and so on.
The chairman observed that some of the things put in place to build the state’s success story in sports may have collapsed be out of date and needed out right re-engineering.
It takes a lot of organisation to put together but we are determined to get it right, he said.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.