Edo Sports Commission Promises To Fulfill Obaseki’s Mandate

OKAFOR CHINEDU MOSES

Members of the newly inaugurated Edo State Sports Commission (ESSC) has promised not only to fulfill the mandate of His Excellency Mr. Godwin Obaseki to produce 10,000 athletes annually but to surpass it.

The Executive Chairman of the new board Mr. Yussuf Alli speaking on behalf of the board members told media men that the board will work hard to surpass Mr. Obaseki’s target of producing 10,000 athletes in Edo State per year

Alli said that given the passion Governor Obaseki has for sports and the level of support he and the board have enjoyed so far from the Governor and his Deputy, Mr. Phillip Shaibu, sports is going to witness a rebirth in the coming years.

“What has pleased us most since our inauguration is the sheer passion and love Mr. Governor has for sports. He has a deep understanding of the social and economic benefits sports can bring to society and he is determined to ensure that those benefits are enjoyed by young people in Edo State. His goal is to see thousands of Edo-born athletes dominating sports locally and internationally and changing the fortunes of their families and even Edo State in the near future through sports. The immediate mandate he gave us is to design a program that will produce at least 10,000 athletes in Edo State every year to meet this objective and he has promised to give us all the support necessary to deliver on this huge but achievable task. Given our youth population which is in millions, this is definitely attainable. As we speak, we have already fashioned out a program to deliver on this mandate and will be sharing the details later once Mr. Governor approves.”

 Alli revealed the ultimate goal is to return Edo State back to its preeminent place in Nigerian sports. “Edo State has always been known to be the bedrock of sports in Nigeria. From producing star athletes to legacy competitions like Ogbe Hard Court Tennis tournament and to facilities like the Afuze Training Camp, a first of its kind in Africa, this is a state that breathes and lives sports and Governor Obaski is determined to bring those glory days back and do even better. We are working on a robust plan to optimize the investments Governor Obaseki has made over the past few years in sports facilities as we continue to repair and refurbish more facilities across the state. We want sports facilities in every part of the state in the next few years so that our young people can easily practice and compete anywhere they are. With this platform, we will then resume hosting National, regional and even global competitions here in Edo State. We have already demonstrated our capacity to host big events with the excellent hosting of the National sports festivals and playing host to the biggest national team in Africa, the Super Eagles for competitive games. We want to build on all that success and even create new momentum to propel Edo State sports back to the top not just in Nigeria, but in Africa.”