By Veronica Utsu
Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, on Tuesday, charged Heads of Department of the Ministry to come up with strategic plans that will define the growth path of talents discovered at the recently concluded National Youth Games in Asaba, the capital of Delta State.
Senator Enoh who chaired an interactive meeting with senior officials of the ministry alongside Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry stated that such a strategic plan should be able to keep talented athletes under the radar of the Ministry and also define a clear path for them to climb to the top of the various sports where they have excelled.
He said that it was important to sustain the interest of these talented athletes in their various sports since they could easily lose interest if no plan is put in place to harness their talents.
Beyond the just concluded National Youth Games, Senator Enoh noted that what the Ministry does with these discovered talents was more important than the emphasis on the medals table and States that achieved the highest medals haul.
The Minister sued for greater synergy amongst the different departments to achieve this objective. He stressed that it was important to show Nigerians the growth trajectory of these talented athletes before the next National Youth Games.
“If we are able to show what we have been able to do with these discovered talents before the next National Youth Games, it will inspire confidence and buy-in by Nigerians and relevant stakeholders,” the Minister said. Beeching “It should not be business as usual.”
He stressed that under his leadership, failure to take decisive action on this issue is not an option.
He warned that if the Ministry failed to come up with implementable plans on the way forward, sports-loving Nigerians would soon put them to the sword.
In his opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ismaila Abubakar said that the essence of the meeting was for the Ministry to evaluate their performance at the Games and come up with suggestions and ways the Ministry can improve in subsequent games.
He called for an unfettered exchange of ideas among the senior officials of the Ministry present at the meeting.
The interactive session witnessed a frank exchange of ideas by various officials of the Ministry. These inputs will form part of a strategic plan setting out a path to the top for the discovered talented athletes being hammered out by a team assembled by the Minister.
