South South, Hub Of Sports In Nigeria

The South-South region of Nigeria, particularly, Rivers State has been described as the hub of sports excellence and development in Nigeria. This was the position of Rivers State Commissioner for Sports, Hon Boma Iyaye, yesterday, while being presented with trophies the state’s athletes won at recent national competitions.
According to Iyaye, “sports live, sleep and thrive in the South-South. We’re gifted in sports and sports development and it’s obvious that Rivers State is one of the major hubs of sports development in the country, we must pride ourselves in the glory”.
He recounted recent developments in which Akwa Ibom and Rivers dominated the recently concluded NPFL season, Bayelsa State won the male and female FA Cup titles, athletes from the region won Nigeria’s medals at the Olympics and Rivers Angels FC’s qualification as the only and first women football team to represent the country at the CAF Women’s Champions League in Egypt later in the year, as pointers to the region’s vantage endowment in sports.
The Commissioner however, noted that the State has been able to achieve because of the unparallel support sports has been enjoying from the government of Chief Nyesom Wike. “The support, commitment and motivation of His Excellency have been unmatched in the history of the state. We must give him that credit and continue to sing his praise because despite competing demands and scarcity of resources, he has shown the highest level of commitment to sports development and empowerment of youths through sports”, said Iyaye.
At the presentation ceremony, the State’s Director of Sports, Mildred Hart said that the athletes won four trophies and medals at recent tournaments in the country. The female U-21 hockey team won the Mabisel National Hockey Championship and the well behaved trophy in Port Harcourt, the female U-17 Beach Volleyball team won the South-South U-17 tourney in Uyo, while Judo brought a trophy, one gold and one silver medal from the National Judo Open Championship for Ranking and Documentation in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Commending the athletes on their achievement, the Sports Commissioner said that the development was a light at the end of the tunnel after the state’s disappointing performance at Edo 2020 National Sports Festival and charged them to return to the glory days of the state.
“You have won but the work has just started. All these should culminate into a good outing at future major tourneys, especially, the forthcoming National Youth Games and the next National Sports Festival. Rivers State is a major competitor and must compete effectively”, he said.
He further charged the Sports Council and athletes to work harder because they have a lot to do and to target first position, as the state would not settle for less at the Youth Games. He also tasked the Council to think outside the box by involving the private sector in their programmes.
Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Sports Ministry, Sir Honour Sirawoo commended the Sports Council for beginning to rejig the process towards winning after the last Sports Festival. He hoped that the trophies were the beginning of a new order and challenged them to work harder towards sustained good outings in future championships.

By: Gabriel Nwanetanya