THE pomp and ceremony of the maiden Niger Delta Sports Festival held in Akwa Ibom State have come and gone, but the significance and purpose of the event must not be treated with kid gloves.

STAKEHOLDERS have lauded the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the novel initiative in organising the sporting event among the nine states that make up the Niger Delta region which include Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers States. The NDDC birthed the idea of bringing together the nine Niger Delta states under one umbrella, featuring over 3,000 athletes and 500 coaches who competed for honours in 17 different SPORTING events.

The regional sporting event, themed “Beyond Oil: Harnessing Talents”, led to the discovery of about 64 young athletes from across the participating states. There is no gainsaying that the idea behind the Niger Delta Sports Festival, to identify potential raw talents that can be nurtured for future success was well conceived, well planned, and well executed.

HOWEVER, the noble objective of talent discovery and development must not be compromised for parochial interests or political gains. We believe that for this laudable initiative to be sustained, there must be continuity. The idea of the Niger Delta Sports Festival should be formally gazetted as part of the NDDC’s mandate. Those managing the Commission must shun extravagance and self-serving tendencies. Instead, they must embrace selflessness and stay committed to the purpose for which the festival was conceived.

THE Hope reiterates that sports remain one of the most effective tools for steering youths away from social vices. When this demographic is positively engaged through sports, it becomes more difficult for unscrupulous elements to exploit them for destructive ends. We, therefore, appeal to the organisers  not to view the festival as an opportunity to make money but to discover and nurture future stars.

WHILE giving kudos to the Ondo State contingent at the sport festival for finishing fifth on the medals table with 10 gold, 18 silver, and 15 bronze, we believe that there is still room for improvement with early preparation and provision of adequate sports facilities.

THE Hope, therefore, appeals to the Ondo State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, as well as the State’s Sports Council, to start thinking outside the box and move away from depending solely on the government for fund and other support. They should actively pursue public-private partnership to improve sporting infrastructure in the state because government alone cannot shoulder the responsibility.

SINCE sport has a way of uniting people, The Hope urges Ondo state government to give sporting activities the needed attention even as the state prepares for the 22nd National Sports Festival, tagged Gateway Games for the State participants to do better than what they did in the just concluded Niger Delta Sport Festival so that the State can return to its rightful place among Nigeria’s leading sporting states.

THERE is no doubt that Ondo State is richly blessed with budding talents and some of the best coaches in the country. It is one of the few states that consistently fielded homegrown athletes at national events. We therefore urge the State government to leverage on this rare opportunity for the State to produce future stars in sports.

TO retain and motivate these athletes, we call on the state government to prioritise their welfare through recognition and rewards. This can go a long way in preventing the poaching of these athletes by other states.a