True Spirit of Sportsmanship

ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF NASARAWA STATE, ALH. DR. ABDULLAHI ADAMU (SARKIN YAKIN KEFFI) AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 8TH NASARAWA STATE SECONDARY SCHOOL SPORTS COMPETITION "AWE 2004" HOLDING AT GC/GSS OBI – 30TH MARCH -1ST APRIL, 2004

Your Excellency,

The Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State,
Honourable speaker, Nasarawa State House of Assembly,
My Lord the Chief Judge,
My Lord Grand Khadi, Sharia Court of Appeal,
President Customary Court of Appeal,
Principal Officers of Nasarawa State House of Assembly,
Members of the State Executive Council,
The Secretary to the State Government,
Special Advisers,
Permanent Secretaries,
Chief Executives of Parastatals and Government Agencies,
Chairmen Transition Management Committees and Chairmen/Councilors (elect),
Chairman Council of Chiefs and other Traditional Rulers,
Your Royal Highnesses,
Distinguished Invited Guests,
Gentlemen of the Press,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Assalamu Alaikum.

With gratitude to Almighty Allah for sustaining our lives to see this day, I am delighted to be in the midst of the teachers and students of our Secondary Schools on this occasion of the opening ceremony of the 8th Nasarawa State Secondary School Sports Competition tagged Awe 2004. In the same token, I warmly welcome the sports contingents from all the seven Area Inspectorate Divisions across the State to this year’s Annual gathering of athletes to the Awe Inspectorate Division of the Ministry of Education for this all important annual event.

The Annual Sports Competition among our students is aimed at cementing cordial relationship and friendship among our youths; inculcate the spirit of give and take which is not only a cardinal principle of sporting competition, but that of our present day democratic dispensation.

It is in recognition of these vital roles played by sports among others that, the present Administration in the State has chosen to accord sports its rightful position in the scheme of things. This can be buttressed by our completion of the Stadium Complex at Bukan Sidi, inauguration of a functional Sports’ Council, the nursing and nurturing of the State football team (Nasarawa United) from its former Division 3 status to her present premier Division 1 cadre.

In the same vein, the football competitions among the State Local Government Areas for our youths, and the recently concluded under 17 football tournament in which Lafia North emerged the winner are cases in point. The State sponsored football competitions among the Tertiary Institutions of the State is another pointer.

This Administration has of recent inaugurated a 15-man committee, who is working round the clock to ensure a kick-off of Nasarawa State first-ever Sports Festival, billed to commence at a close of the present one. This is a further testimony of the administration’s love for sports and keen desire to tap and fish out talented stars among our youths.

It is worth mentioning here that, Nasarawa State Secondary School Sports contingents have done the State and the entire country proud in most of their outings as exemplified by the followings:

  1. Nasarawa State Handball Team represented Nigeria in the year 2000 at the World Secondary School Championship in Sidney Australia and emerged 3rd best in the world.
  2. In the same 2000, the State Secondary Schools Volley Ball team represented Nigeria at the All African Secondary School Games in Kenya where the team took 5th position and one of our players rated as the best striker in Africa.
  3. The State has since the year 2000 been requested by the National Schools Sports Federation to represent the county in the Secondary Schools Annual International Championships.

Permit me to digress a little by quoting a popular saying which holds that, "all work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy". In another vein, "all play without work makes Jack a mere toy". It is therefore common knowledge that sporting activities serve as necessary antidote after a session of strenuous academic exercises. Similarly, the physical exercises recharge and prepare the brain for better academic challenges of the classroom. It is in this wise that, sports Annual Competitions are organized for our students in order to ensure their all round development socially, morally, physically and intellectually.

It may also interest you to note that machinery has already been set in motion by this Administration to establish a Soccer Academy in the State, from the beginning of 2004/5 session. This Academy when established will also enable us groom talented youth for the various events in the sporting arena.

At this juncture, I wish to employ all and sundry not to see the competitions as a ‘do or die’ affair but to exhibit true spirit of sportsmanship by competing in a healthy, mature and friendly manner. I urge the contingents not to loose sight of the primary objective of the competition which are in the main, aimed at fostering peace, friendship and mutual understanding.

In an auspicious occasion like this, I can not but seize the opportunity to remind our teachers and students alike of the enormous investments we have consistently make in the education sector since our assumption of office in May 1999. You are all living witnesses of the revolutionary strides we have made which saw to the mass renovations of all schools we inherited from our predecessors. The construction of numerous new classroom blocks, the opening of 85 new secondary schools, the purchase of science equipment (chemicals and reagents), the mass employment of teachers especially the core subjects and also the opening of a number of tertiary institutions including a State University which is full fledged and whose academic activities I am proud to say are comparable with the older universities in the country.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, you will agree with me that for us to maintain our lead in the provision of educational services a lot is required from the service providers, in this case our teachers. I therefore call on you teachers to redouble your efforts so that effective teaching and learning will take place in our schools. I recall with concern the attempts made by some teachers last year and even this year to disrupt normal school activities in our schools. While we recognize the rights of teachers to express their feelings on Government Policies, we call on them to be constantly conscious of the fate and interest of the young ones entrusted in their care. I also call on you to bear in mind government efforts to ensure your welfare and well-being and to compare and contrast with the situations prevailing in other States of the Federation. I am sure that by the time our efforts are thrown in the comparison, you will realize that they are by far better off, which will serve as an impetus to perform better.

Teachers are therefore employed to work hard by preparing theirs students for both internal and external exams in order to avert any temptation of fallen as victims of examination malpractices.

I wish to also use this opportunity to place on record the appreciation of the Nasarawa State Government for highly commendable complimentary roles of the various PTA’s in the provision of educational services as manifested by the projects they are financing in our schools. We urge you to continue with this fit so as to facilitate the realization of Government objectives on the provision of education to our people.

I therefore wish to declare Nasarawa State 2004 Secondary School Sports Competition open.

Thank you.

Saturday, April 14, 2007
 
 

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