In preparation of the National Youth Game come September, the Special Adviser on Youth and Sports Development to the Executive Governor of Kano state, Yusuf Shu’aibu Imam (Ogan Boye) had visited the Kano state contingents at the North West Zonal elimination competitions in Kaduna last Sunday.
During his visit which was seen by many as a sensitization and morale booster to the officials and athletes of the Kano state contingents, the SA charged them to be of good behavior and do their best to bring honors and laurels to the state.
The SA also commended the officials of the Kano State Sports Commission for their efforts of ensuring that Kano state teams performed creditably well in all the team games they registered and participated.
Shu’aibu Imam aka Ogan Boye then appreciated the wisdom behind the Youth Games and assured of his support considering Kano’s huge population of youth who are very keen in sports and the benefits a lot of them could derive from participating in various sports events.
The S.A. also affirmed the government readiness to honor and reward all the athletes that won medals for the state during the Delta games, which according to him, is to encourage them and others to achieve their full potential.
He then thanked the Executive Governor of Kano State, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf for his support and commitment to Youth and Sports Development programs in the state.
Ogan Boye also revealed that, after he assumed duty as SA on Youth and Sports Development, he had undertaken a facility tour to all sports facilities in Kano and he had submitted a report to the Executive Governor and assured that, very soon the Government will embark on the total overhaul of all the facilities in the state.
Honestly, I am very happy with Ogan Boye’s pronunciation. And I am particularly happy that the administration of Engr Abba Kabir Yusif is ready to reward hard working and deserving athletes after the Delta Youth Games.
Even Though It was uncommon to reward athletes and officials after National Youth Games (NYG) since its inception in Abuja in 2013, it is a good omen as the government wants to start hosting and rewarding victorious athletes and officials after every National Youth Games.
Only that there are lots of those athletes that did their best in the previous events like National Sports Festival and National Youth Games but are yet to have a governor’s handshake and gifts.
The SA should know that Kano state performed wonderfully well in recent National Sports Festivals. Many of us have considered the recent two outings of Kano state in the National Sports Festival as the best feats in the history of Kano’s participation in national competitions in recent times.
The records of the two successive National Sports Festivals editions in particular, Edo 2021 and Delta 2022 were commendable and deserved rewards but up to now, the athletes that participated are not honored and rewarded.
Bookmakers saw the superlative show of our athletes as the combined efforts of all the state contingents comprising the athletes, their coaches and their officials. So all of them should be handsomely rewarded
In the last concluded National Sports Festival tagged: Delta 2022, Kano state has finished 6th position in Delta 2022 NSF with 77 medals, comprising 20 Gold, 27 Silver and 30 Bronze Medals. But sadly those men and women that did placed Kano that high were not rewarded.
Another set team that represented Kano in the Edo 2021 National Sports were not honored and rewarded by the government.
During the 19th National Sports Festival which was slated in Benin City, tagged Edo 2021, the athletes that made Kano proud as they finished 9th Position with 66 medals comprising 11 Gold, 22 Silver, 33 Bronze.
There are also other sets of athletes that were not honored and rewarded. They represented Kano state in the 1st National Para Games, Abuja which took place in Abuja in 2022 where Kano occupied 3rd Position by hauling 42 Medals comprising 21 Gold, 13 Silver and 8 Bronze Medals.
To most of us, the above stated were some of the good outings by the Kano state athletes but were not rewarded.
I am appealing to the SA and the Government of Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf to consider them anytime they want to honor these National Youth Games athletes.
I am also happy that the SA had talked about the intension of the state government to renovate all the decayed and vandalized facilities in the state.
I am particularly happy that government of Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf is ready to put Sani Abacha Stadium (SAS) in order.
The government should do it in earnest as the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) which Kano Pillars FC will feature is billed to start in the next few days and the team will use the stadium to host all its home games.
The Special Adviser should also know that Kano Pillars FC too has won the Federation cup (AITEO CUP) former National Challenge Cup in 2019 in Kaduna and are yet to be honored and rewarded.
We see it not only as a good gesture or omen but as a morale booster which outcome will be unmeasurable to both the players, their coaches and officials.