The Ebonyi Ministry of Sports says it will severely punish its officials who aid irregularities during the forthcoming school sports competition in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the competition which was last held in the state in 2008 will commence on Nov. 5 at the Local Government Areas (LGA) and close with competitions at the state level from Nov. 21 to Nov. 25.
The Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Mr Charlse Akpuenika, who gave the warning on Saturday while briefing newsmen, said that the ministry was optimistic of a hitch-free competition.
Akpuenika warned the various committee members and officials not to engage in irregularities, urging them to discharge their duties with honesty and professionalism.
“During the last David Umahi Tertiary Institution Games (DUMTIGA), one of the officials compromised, substituting passports and aiding the involvement of mercenaries.
“He was aware of his wrong actions but we warn that any repeat of such occurrences will be met with stiff sanctions to deter others,� he said.
The commissioner noted that the competition would involve pupils and students of primary and secondary schools in the 13 LGAs of the state in both public and private levels.
“The primary school category will feature football, athletics, sack race and table tennis, while the secondary school will have football, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, taekwondo, scrabble, chess, handball, badminton, weightlifting, table tennis, and athletics.
“The successful teams from the LGAs will qualify for the zonal meets with successful teams ultimately qualifying to compete at state level,� Akpuenika said.
He said that stringent efforts were made to ensure a successful organisation of the competition with active involvement and consultation with sports stakeholders in the LGAs, zonal and state levels.
“We constituted a joint committee with agencies under the state ministry of education, including the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) and the Secondary Education Board (SEB).
“The committee toured the councils and zones across the state, interfacing with headmasters, headmistresses and principals of schools among other stakeholders to fashion ways of ensuring a successful competition.
“The sports ministryâ€s staff also interfaced with education secretaries of the councils among other sports stakeholders to create the desired awareness and the results have been fruitful,â€� he said.
He thanked Gov. David Umahi for his love in revatalising sports in the state, noting that he released over N52 million to ensure the organisation of several competitions in the state before the end of 2018.
“We have successfully organised the DUMTIGA Games and will organise the “Akubaraoha Super Cup and the David Umahi Paramilitary Games among other competitions,� he said.
Chief Sabinus Nwankwagu, Commissioner for Education, said that the school sports competition was ideal as it would enhance the mental and physical capabilities of pupils and students.
“All work and no play makes children dull as education and sports activate the minds and intellectual capabilities of the young ones.
“Top sports personalities such as Augustine Jay-Jay Okocha and Kanu Nwankwo among others were discovered from competitions such as the school sports and we hope to discover such talents in Ebonyi,� he said.
He urged the relevant committees for the competition to ensure that budding talents were tapped and harnessed to ensure equitable representation of the state in various competitions in the country.
Chief Nicodemus Omenka, UBEB Secretary in the state, pledged that educational authorities would cooperate to ensure that the competition met required standard.
“The governor has maintained a top-level standard in his interventions in all areas of the state as we seek the cooperation of all to achieve this objective,� he said.
The post School Sports: Ebonyi To Punish Officials Aiding Irregularities appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
School Sports: Ebonyi To Punish Officials Aiding Irregularities
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