Bauchi football team has emerged as winners of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) Secondary Schools Sports Festival after defeating Gombe State team by 2-1 in the final match played at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium Bauchi.
The football final also drew the curtains on the inaugural edition of the grassroots sports festival for secondary schools in the north east.
In a related development, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NEDC, Mohammed Goni Alkali, disclosed plans to give scholarships to the outstanding athletes to develop their talents in sports academies and further their education up to university level.
Represented by NEDC Head of Humanitarian Services, Joshua Ibrahim, Alkali said the major objectives for organizing the tournament is to promote peaceful coexistence, and regional integration among the six states of the region and beyond.
“We decided to organize this event so that our youth can interact with one another from the state level and later meet their counterparts across the North East to foster good memories and unity. We intend to continue with this regional integration and unity in the North East.
“Apart from the talent hunt, the NEDC also intends to sponsor those that have the capacity and are talented in various sports in the form of scholarships to sports academies up to universities to further their education. This is the reason these sporting activities have been organized,” said Alkali.
On her part, Bauchi State Commissioner of Education, Jamila Dahiru, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Ali Babayo, thanked NEDC for organising the sports festival from the state level up to the grand finale, bringing together North East youths for sporting development and regional integration.
Dahiru also commended the students for their orderly conduct throughout the sports festival which she said stood them out as worthy ambassadors of their respective states.
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