Sports
Public Service Games: 12,000 Athletes, Others Expected In Bayelsa
No fewer than 12,000 athletes, officials and dignitaries would be expected to storm Bayelsa State to grace the 39th edition of the Annual Public Games billed to kick off next month in the state.
The National President of the Federation of Public Service Games/(FEPSGA) organisers of the games, Comrade Aloku Amaebi dropped the hint yesterday in a telephone interview with Tidesports.
According to Amaebi, the athletes and officials will be drawn from the various ministries departments, agencies and parastatals in a the country.
Speaking further, Comrade Amaebi, who is an indigene of Bayelsa State maintained that the Head of Service of the Federation and pillar of sports in public service of Nigeria, Dr. Folashade Yemi Esan, who also doubles as patron of the organising body will be among the dignitaries’ on the economic importance of the national sport event.
“This will provide a veritable platform to showcase the natural endowments of the people of Bayelsa State to the rest of the world. It will also promote the state, create ready market and patronage for the state as well as advance the image of the state as indeed the glory of all land,” Amaebi said.
On the formal request to the Bayelsa State Government to host this edition of the annual sports competition for public servants in Nigeria, Comrade Amaebi maintained that efforts are on to persuade the Douye Diri’s administration to host the games.
He recalled that in 2010, the 29th edition of the games was hosted by the Honorable Patrick Yakowa led administration in Kaduna State, stressing that it helped to open up the local economics of the state.
Meanwhile, the letter to the Governor requesting him to host the historic games sighted by Tidesports source read in parts: “Your Excellency is therefore, requested to sponsor this year’s games scheduled for December, 2020 by assisting the federation with funding and provision of the followings: sports facilities, accommodation for invited dignitaries, security, provision of ambulance and other medical services.”
In the meantime, Ekiti, Kaduna, Cross River and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja are competing to host the 39th edition of the games.
The National President assured the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State that the organising body will adhere strictly to the COVID-19 protocols.
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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