Sports
Emulate Edo First Lady, Dare Tasks Governors’ Wives
Youth and Sports Development Minister, Sunday Dare has challenged the wives of the States’ Chief Executives to emulate the First Lady of Edo State, Betsy Obaseki in the areas of youth and sports development.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the first edition of the Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament in Benin City, Edo State on Sunday, the Sports Minister urged other women in positions of influence and authority to use their good offices to promote sports and other good causes.
Twelve teams, eight of them in the Nigeria Women Football top-flight league participated in the tournament, earning handsome cash prizes in the process.
Winners Bayelsa Queens earned the top prize of five million naira, runners up Rivers United got three million naira. Third and fourth-placed Edo Queens and FC Robo got two and one million naira respectively while all the other teams that could not go beyond the group stage smiled home with half a million naira each.
Tidesports source reports that Her Excellency, Betsy Obaseki also used the tournament to preach against human trafficking and other gender-based abuses and crimes.
“What the First Lady of Edo State has done is worthy of emulation. The impact, not just in sports but on the social lives of these young girls cannot be quantified,” Sports Minister Sunday Dare told the audience at the closing ceremony.”
“Helping to fight against social vices like human trafficking and other discriminatory offenses against women using sports is something that all influential women in power should do,” he added.
Some of those present at the closing ceremony of the tournament were the First Ladies of Osun and Bayelsa states, the wife of the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Maryann Philip Shuaibu and the first vice president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Barrister Seyi Akinwumi.
The championship will run from today to October 12 at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia. On the ground for the championship are athletes from Brazil, Peru, Egypt, Cameroon, Tunisia, Nigeria, Mauritius and Rwanda. They arrived on Sunday.
Some of the other countries were expected in the Abia State capital yesterday. Speaking on the championship, yesterday, Abia State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Nwobilor Ananaba, said the chief host, Governor Alex Otti, has mobilised facilities and the personnel to ensure a successful event.
Speaking through the Special Assistant to the Governor on Sports, Raymond Chima Ukwa, said: “We have the best mats, playing mats, especially the wheelchair playing mats, which is the first of its kind in West Africa.
“If you go around, you’ll see the hall and the preparation that has been made to ensure that people have an equitable world-class playing field.” Thrilled by Governor Otti’s support for the competition, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) President, Francis Orbih, said that, besides making all the necessary arrangements that will ensure a successful hosting of the events, “we will have a Para-Badminton workshop for coaches and players.
“Nigeria is doing well, Abia is doing well, and we want to do better to improve on where we are, which is why all these have been put together by Governor Otti.”
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles began their campaign at the 24th FIFA U20 World Cup with a narrow 1–0 loss to Norway on Monday, despite creating several opportunities to level the game.
Norway took the lead in the 9th minute after being awarded a controversial penalty. The Flying Eagles pressed for an equaliser but were denied two penalty claims in the second half.
Kparobo Arierhi came close in the 47th minute when his shot drifted wide with the goalkeeper beaten, while Tahir Maigana struck the upright in the 63rd minute.
Nasiru Salihu’s rising effort in the 71st minute also went narrowly over the bar, drawing gasps from the crowd.
Seven minutes from time, Maigana again tested Norway with a long-range strike that went just wide as Nigeria continued to pile on the pressure.
Despite their dominance, the Flying Eagles could not find the breakthrough and now turn their attention to Thursday’s clash against Saudi Arabia in their second group match.
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