Commissioner Harps On Zonal Sports Competition

Commissioner for SportsRivers State , Hon Boma Iyaye, making a speech

Rivers State
Commissioner for Sports, Hon Boma Iyaye has urged the South-South Zone Sports directors to organise yearly sports competition within the zone.
He stated the ministry is ready to support the zone in any sports development programe, with the view to discover and expose talents in the area.
Hon Iyaye said this when the South-South Zone Sports directors paid him a courtesy visit in his office, on Wednesday in Port Harcourt.
He explained that the uncertainty of the National Sports Festival (NSF) to hold has discouraged some states, mostly Rivers State to call athletes into camping.
“As ministry and government we are ready to support any sports programe that will promote and develop sports in the zone.
It is important for the zone to organise sports competition yearly. Hon Iyaye said.
According to him, to enable the NSF hold on the specified date, the National Sports Commission (NSC) should have a backup plan.
“We cannot call athletes to camp because there is no specific date, so to plan is difficult.
The NSC should have a backup plan to enable the NSF to hold every two years as been specified, we must not wait for any particular state, this should also be taken as a policy” he stated.
Earlier the leader of the group, Zonal Co-ordinator Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, Benin, Yemi Usikaye said the visit gives them the opportunity to brain storm on how to move sports forward in the zone and seek support on their proposed national youth games scheduled to hold in August.
According to him, Rivers State is the leading state in the zone in terms of sports.
“Our visit is largely to work out modalities on how to develop and promote sports in the zone.
It is imperative to organise national youth games in August”, Usikaye said.

Tonye Orabere