by crossriveratch admin
Ahead of 2014 National Sports Festival, the U.J. Esuene stadium has received a boost as after taking delivery of weight gym facilities worth millions of naira yesterday.
The facilities were donated at the U.J.Esuene stadium by Senator Helen Esuene on behalf of her family as part of the programme to mark the 20 years remembrance ceremony of her late husband, Brigadier U.J.Esuene who was the first Military Governor of the then South Eastern state from 1967 to 1975.
While making the donation, Senator Esuene said her husband saw the state through the civil war and went ahead to put down major infrastructure like the stadium which the Cross River State government and its people deemed it fit to name stadium after him.
For this gesture she thanked the state for naming the stadium after her husband and promised to do more to encourage sporting activities in the stadium.
Commenting on sports development in the country, Senator Esuene who was accompanied by the former Speaker of the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly Mr. Bassey Essien, former Permanent Secretary in the regime of Esuene Mr. Wilfred Inah and other top dignitaries decried the non participation of the private sector in sports development.
She said the government on its part has tried in developing sports but the time has come for the private sector to come in effectively and take sports to its highest level as it is done in other parts of the world.
The Senator who had instituted the Under 15 U.J.Esuene National Football championship in memory of her late husband to develop youth football said after seven years of sponsoring the competition that attracted teams from all over the country, no private sector could come in to assist.
As a result of this, She said the championship was rested but promised to put it back on track soon as things improve.
While receiving the weight gym facilities, the State Governor Senator Liyel Imoke thanked Senator Esuene and her family for the donation as “it will not only be useful to sports men and women in the state but all Cross Riverians”.
Senator Imoke who was represented by the Commissioner for Youths and Sports Mr. Patrick Ugbe promised to make good use of the facilities noting that as the state is going to host the 2014 National Sports festival, the equipment will
be of much assistance to the state and sports development.
Some of the items donated include, Treat Mill, Ero Bike, Dumbill, Stepper, Multi Gym, Measurement Weight and others.
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