Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has urged students to utilize the opportunity of the sports festival by participating actively.
Soludo made this statement at the official opening ceremony of the First Solution School Sports Festival for Primary and Secondary schools held at the hall of the secretary to the state government in Awka on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
The Governor, who was represented by Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr. Tony Collins Nwabunwanne, reiterated that the change Anambra is praying for has come with developmental projects and also building human capital.
“There are so many benefits in school sports festivals. It makes one stay healthy, maintain good fitness level both emotional and physical, develop leadership skills, social life, discipline, better performance in academics, self esteem, cooperation and team work.
“We are going to give full support to this festival because we want to develop talents from the community down to the local government level. We will support this project. Take this project very serious. This is the time for you all to prove yourselves.”
Chairman, Anambra State Sports Development Commission, Hon. Patrick Estate Onyedum, in a welcome address, expressed gratitude to Governor Soludo for approving the festival which is the first School Sports Festival in Anambra State after more than ten years.
“This festival is organized by Anambra State Sports Development Commission, in collaboration with the Ministries of Education and Local Government Affairs.
“At the close of registration, a total of 610 schools including primary and secondary schools across the 21 local government areas of Anambra State enrolled to participate in this festival.
“This grassroots development programme is borne out of our desire to take Anambra State back to its days of glory in sports when we produced national champions in different sporting events including the CKC 1977 team that won the world in Dublin.
“We will not only use sports as a tool for empowering the youth, we will use it as a grassroots mobiliser to create awareness on the exploits of Solution administration and galvanize support for it. I assure you that in no distant time, Anambra children will start to find their way to studying abroad through sports sponsorship.
“We are confident that at the end of this tournament, we would have raised a generation of young athletes that would surprise the country at the National Youth Games scheduled for September this year and by extension at the National Sports Festival scheduled for Ogun state next year”, Onyedum stated,
Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, in her address, commended the
Chairman, Anambra State Sports Development Commission for hitting the ground running, stating that sports helps in the development of a child and also helps in improving their physical growth.
“We are here today because of Governor Soludo’s passion for sports, and his vision to touch the lives of youths of Anambra state in a special way. Sports is a skill that if developed, has the potential of changing the furtunes of a child”.
The commissioner urged young minds to key into the development plans of Soludo who has come to develop every sector in Anambra state.
Chairman, Anambra State Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Tony Orji in a vote of thanks expressed gratitude to Governor Chukwuma Soludo for bringing back grassroot sports back to Anambra.
“What we are witnessing today was held last about 11 years ago. This is a new beginning. I urge Ndi Anambra to utilize this opportunity so that the development of sports in Anambra state will be fully actualised.
Transition Committee Chairman Ekwusigo Local Goverenment Area, Hon Chimezie Obi and Chief Neville Uchendu, the TC Chairman of Orumba South in their seperate interviews also commended the state government for resurrecting grassroot sports.
