Abia Govt inaugurates committee to organize maiden Abia State football festival
Ogbonnaya Ikokwu, Umuahia
The State Government has Inaugurated a 33 – Man Local Organizing Committee to spearhead the maiden Abia State Football Festival, with the former Mayor of Aba North LGA, Ide John Udeagbala as Chairman.
Also in the committee are, Captain Eric Asumugha, Vice Chairman and the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Lady Oge Maduka, the Secretary among other members.
Inaugurating the committee members in his Office in Umuahia, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Uzor Nwachukwu said that the tournament christened Abia First Soccer in collaboration with his Ministry and Ministry of Youths and Sports Development is targeting active participation of football clubs across the 184 wards in the State
He said that those that would participate would compete favourably at the grassroots to Local Government Levels and herald the best team to represent the State at the National level football competitions.
Prince Uzor Nwachukwu said that the groups that “we have in every community will be given opportunity by the state to compete amongst themselves, from where the ward, will now have its own team as a ward and they will now play amongst themselves,”
While assuring that the mobilization would be done at the grassroots level and then gets to the state level, Sir Nwachukwu urged the Mayors to be fully involved to make sure that every community is covered and represented in the competition.
He further enjoined the committee members to work as a formidable team to realize the objectives of the State Government for initiating the football tournament and expressed confidence that the committee would be able to drive the process as envisioned by Governor Alex Otti
In his speech, the Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Sir Nwaobilor Ananaba said that the essence of the inauguration is to put a team together that would drive this grassroots initiative of discovering football talents.
He said that, the government plans to put up a structure to nurture the talents to be discovered in the competition, and make sure they become fantastic athletes that would represent Abia state at the state, national and international level.
“His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti has approved for us to go all the nooks and corners of the state to organise a football competition that will drive initiative to discover football talents, put up a structure to nurture them, and make sure they are fantastic athletes that will represent Abia state in the state level, national level and international level.
“This is one of the events. We also have other sports engagements that we are doing just to discover and nurture them.
We have selected ambitious and credible people to drive this and very soon you will see the results,” Ananaba stated.
Sir Ananaba clarified that the competition is different from that of the secondary school unity games, saying that while the unity games captures young boys and girls in the school system, the current competition captures the ones outside the school system
Also, the Co-chair and House Committee Chairman on Sports and Youths Development, Mr Chinasa Anthony said that the grassroots football tournament competition was also designed to create opportunities to the unreachable talents in sports adding that the committee members were carefully selected to drive the initiative of the Governor Dr Alex Otti.
Responding on behalf of the Committee members, Chairman of the maiden Abia State Football Festival, Ide John Udeagbala thanked Governor Alex Otti for finding them worthy to serve in that capacity and assured that they would justify the confidence reposed in them.
The inauguration ceremony attracted the presence of the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Dr. Cyril Nwaigwe, Mayors of the 17 Local Government Areas in the State, Director General Abia State Orientation Agency Ure Abazie, State Director of Sports, Comrade Obioma George among other top government officials.