Fostering Friendship and Understanding Through Sports
Address of His Excellency, Alhaji (Dr.) Abdullahi Adamu, (Sarkin Yakin Keffi) Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, on the Occasion of the Opening Ceremony of the 9th All Nasarawa State Secondary Schools Sports Championship Tagged "Nasarawa 2005" Held at Government College, Nasarawa on Monday, 21st March, 2005. It is our delight to be here this afternoon to commemorate the opening ceremony of activities marking the formal commencement of this year’s Nasarawa State All Secondary Schools Games tagged "Nasarawa 2005". With representatives from over 220 public Secondary Schools, these games are the largest single sporting activity involving our dear young ones from across the state.
I am particularly pleased to flag off these games which objective in the main is the promotion of friendship, understanding, peace and concord. This objective is indeed lofty and very dear to us in the Nasarawa state as we pursue our desire to establish a community of Nigerians from different socio-cultural and political backgrounds, but living in harmony and unity.
As a Government, it is our constant objective to foster friendship, understanding, peace and positive cooperation between and amongst our people irrespective of ethnic, cultural or religious differences. In view of this, we make a point of duty to always support and encourage this annual fiesta, just as I wish to reiterate our unwavering commitment to any event, scheme or activity that has the capacity of promoting this ideal.
I am made to understand that when the first edition of the Secondary Schools fiesta in Nasarawa State was held in 1997, it brought in a lot of joy and fanfare to the teeming spectators who watched young boys and girls competing for honours in various sporting events. That occasion will always be remembered for a number of reasons.
First, it was the first time an event of that magnitude was organised since the creation of the state. Secondly, the organisation of the annual championship continues to afford us the golden opportunity to fish out sound material to carry the flag of our state at the National Secondary School Games.
Given the preparations made for this year’s edition of the games and the noticeable preparedness and agility of the competitors, and of course the manifest support given to the event by School heads and administrators, we are further encouraged to show tremendous interest in this annual fiesta. The large number of students lined up for the various events and the zeal being exhibited by the various competitors can only attest to the fact that our secondary school students are set to go any length in sporting competitions whether at local, national and international levels.
Gingered by the encouraging performances of our athletes in the past and the numerous reports available to Government, this administration has decided to give much impetus to sports and sporting activities in the state.
To this end, we embarked on a total reform of our sporting facilities around the state. This process includes renovation of the stadia in Lafia, Keffi and Nasarawa; the institution of various sporting activities amongst various communities and groups in the state and the setting up of two football teams – the Nasara United and the Solid Babes football clubs. I am happy to note that the result of our investments in this sector has started paying off handsomely as our athletes are been recognised nationally and internationally.
Since sports is a veritable tool of social transformation, and as current realities have shown, an avenue for economic emancipation of our youths, we have also instituted a soccer competition in our tertiary institutions which has fished out a lot of talents that have turned out to be of great value to the state.
Considering the prime position which sporting activities have assumed in our Secondary Schools since the first edition of these games, it is our ardent hope that this state can comfortably be the resource base for all young and talented sportsmen for the North-Central Zone in the years ahead. It is the desire of Government to "Catch them Young", hence we will strive to do everything within our capabilities to sustain this championship.
As for the young athletes, it must now be clear to you that through sports, you can go beyond the shores of this Country at no costs to your parents. Many of our youths are being gainfully employed through active involvement in sports.
From this lowly beginning, you could rise to be one of the household names in sports in this country and beyond. The big names you hear today also started like you. At the beginning, they did not imagine that they will rise to the position of fame presently occupied by them.
I recall with delight that it was through similar fiesta in the Primary schools games that in July 2004, our state was selected to represent the country in Manchester, United Kingdom for the Umbro International Youth Football tournament. It is also common knowledge that some Nasarawa State indigenes that excelled during our annual competitions are currently playing football and other related sporting events in some major teams within the country.
As you compete for various laurels in this fiesta, I must warn that you keep the spirit of the game high by avoiding any thing that can compromise the objectives of the competition.
Being future hopefuls of this great country, I urge you to maintain the peace by avoiding all social vices like drug addiction, cultism, promiscuity and above all ensuring that you keep yourselves free from the dreaded HIV – AIDS pandemic.
My dear students, permit me at this juncture to restate Government’s commitment to the provision of required facilities and resources for the promotion of educational services to our young ones. It is common knowledge that since we assumed of the mantle of leadership in 1999, we have transformed our Primary and Secondary Schools for enhanced service to our young ones.
We have established four additional tertiary institutions to cope with the high demand for higher education opportunities on the part of our young school leavers. I make bold to state that these institutions are impacting positively on the manpower needs of our state. Our State Polytechnic is presently undergoing massive transformation with an injection of funds to the tune of N280m for the construction of a befitting Administrative block and an Engineering Complex as well as supply of vital equipment, Chemicals and reagents for the accreditation of courses by the relevant regulatory bodies.
Academic activities at the State University are being adjudged as comparable with those of first generation Universities in the country. Indeed the university is ranked as the best funded among all state universities in the country and academic activities have never been disrupted since the institution commenced lectures in early 2001. This year alone, government is spending well over a billion Naira on capital projects within the university. Projects to benefit from this expenditure include faculty buildings, offices and a convocation square.
I therefore seize this opportunity once more to call on our young ones to rededicate themselves to the search and quest for knowledge. I call an our teachers to rise up to the challenge of the moment by ensuring that they impart knowledge on our young men to give us worth on the huge investments we are making by regular payment of their salaries and other entitlements.
On this note, it is now my singular honour to declare the 9th edition of the All Nasarawa State Secondary Schools Games OPEN.
Thank you and may God continue to bless our efforts.
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