The Executive Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Desmond Enabulele, has stated that the Commission under his watch will not encourage athletes poaching but invest in grassroots sports development through talents hunt and nurture programmes.
The Executive Director, representing Edo South senatorial district in the Commission, Baldwin Bazuaye, made the disclosure as his committee rounded off the familiarization tour of the Edo South Local Government Councils in Abudu, headquarters of Orhionmwon Local Government Area.
The Commission embarked on the tour of the district last week, beginning with Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Areas with Bazuaye and the Commission’s Zonal Coordinator, Doris Omoragbo leading the delegation.
Bazuaye told the council chairmen that the Commission is committed to the implementation of its development programme in line with the mandate given by the state government. According to him, grassroots sports development is a critical component of the state sports development programme.
“In demonstration of the Edo State Sports Commission commitment to the realization of Governor Okpebholo’s social development agenda and our goals to reenact the feat of the state when it was referred to as ‘Bendel Number One’, we have begun the drive for talents hunt with the tour of local
government councils in the Edo South senatorial district.
“We decided to go round the local government headquarters to deliver the message of the Commission Chairman, seeking collaboration with them on how to spread the message to the various local communities on the need to raise athletes from the grassroots and nurture them to stardom.
“We all know that Edo is heavily blessed with natural and human resources. I was discovered and picked from street and school football competitions and developed to international level. I believe we still have the talents everywhere in our state, hence we are going through a thorough process of catching them young. Who knows, the kids we discovered today could represent Edo and the country tomorrow and have a glorious career.”
Bazuaye revealed that the Commission plans to comb the local government areas in its talent hunt and grassroots development agenda and called for collaborative efforts to make it easier for the state. In all the local government councils visited, the chairmen in their separate responses assured the Commission of their support and collaboration.
The Chairman Uhunmwode Local Government Council, Comrade Iredia Osas Benjamin; Chairman Ovia North East Local Government Council, Igbinake Omoruyi and their Orhionmwon counterpart, Daniel Osariemen said as long as the programme is about the future of the state and has the nod of the state government that they are ready to be a part of it.
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