Sports
Ogu House Tops At Inter-House Competition
The maiden inter-house sports competition of State School, Ikpo-Ama, in Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area Rivers State, was held last Tuesday at the School’s playground with Ogu House emerging tops with 54 points.
It was followed by Ikpo-Ama House with 50 points, while Church House came third with 37 points as Loko House with 36 points came rear.
Speaking before declaring the competition open, a former Education Secretary of the Local Government, Dr Emmanuel Anga reiterated the importance of sports to a healthy living and physical fitness and advocated that government should include it in school curriculum.
Anga also called on parents to encourage their children and wards into sports activities, pointing out that it had become a source of livelihood to families in recent times.
He commended the Rivers State Government for ensuring that all schools embarked on inter-house sports competition, saying that it is a welcomed development that would help discover budding talents and also called for its sustenance as they could be stars of tomorrow.
In his remarks, the chairman of the occasion, Isaac Tamunoiminabo who was represented by Samuel Iyayeteinka thanked the Headmistress of the school, Florence Oba and others for making the day come true and pledged to cooperate with the school authorities for educational advancement.
In her speech, the Headmistress of the school, Oba also lauded all for their contributions both in cash and kind to make the first inter-house sports competition a huge success and appealed for more support by providing more classrooms, drinking water and ferry boat among others.
The Chairman, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Rivers State Chapter, Comrade Promise Dokubo was among other dignitaries that graced the occasion.
Collins Barasimeyi
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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