Ayade Lauds Dev. Programmes of C’River Sports Commission

Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River has said that the efforts of the State’s Sports Commission to develop sports in the state will be continually appreciated by his administration.

The governor gave the assurance in Calabar at the finals of an Under 15 football tournament for schools organised in his honour across by the commission at the U.J. Esuene Stadium.

Ayade, said his administration was excited by the injection of fresh approach to sports promotion and development by the commission.

Represented at the occasion by his Special Adviser, Public Affairs, Tony Undiandeye, the governor commended the Orok Duke-led Commission for using soccer to identify and groom talents at the grassroots through schools’.

He said: “Efforts of the Sports Commission have been appreciated. He commission is doing a lot to uplift sports in Cross River. There are projects they (Sports Commission) are undertaking and I am excited about what they are doing right now. Overall, you see that they is an injection of new approach to sports promotion and development, using sports, soccer to identify and groom talents at the grassroots through schools at that level.

“We believe that when these children get back, having been here to see the facilities, a greater zeal in them to prevail will endure.

We hope that the state government will continue to encourage what they are doing within available resources. The commission is doing well they should be encouraged and supported,” he said.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Commission, Orok Duke, said the commission was poised to leave a legacy during his tenure.

Duke said that the tournament was organised across the tree senatorial district of the state in honour of Ayade for reactivating the commission with a mandate to reposition sports in the state.

“This tournament is a grassroots programme to encourage him to do more. We intend to capture these athletes and talents across the state and harness their immense potentials at different levels.

“We are hoping and praying that in spite of the limited resources and facilities at our disposal we will recreate a lot in sports across the state. There is going to be no dull moments here,” Duke said.

He also appealed to the state government to set aside a percentage of the sports levies paid directly by students in public schools to be retained by those schools for the development of facilities.

“The commission has sports officers in all the local government areas of the state. The idea is to take sports to these people.’’

Duke said the commission has since December 2016 incorporated the Ben Ayade United Football club, Calabar and the Canaan City Table Tennis Club.

“The Canaan City Table Tennis Club will be participating in an international tournament starting from May this year. We are planning a female football competition for secondary schools. We currently encourage the Pelican Stars FC to mentor female footballers by training with lots of female students,” he said.