Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh has 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.
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 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.
Enoh emphasised the need to sustain the interest of talented athletes by implementing a plan to nurture their abilities. He believes that the ministry’s focus should be on developing these talents, rather than solely prioritising medal counts. The minister called for improved collaboration among departments to achieve this goal and emphasised the importance of showcasing the growth of these 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 Youths Games, it will inspire confidence and buy-in by Nigerians and relevant stakeholders. It should not be business as usual,” the minister said.
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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 will soon put them to the sword.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ismaila Abubakar, stated that the purpose of the meeting was to assess the ministry’s performance at the Games and brainstorm ideas for improvement in future games.
He encouraged open and unrestricted sharing of ideas among the senior officials present. The interactive session involved a candid exchange of ideas, which will contribute to the development of a strategic plan for the talented athletes, led by a team assembled by the minister.
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