Delta state governor Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has charged sport heroes to give back to the society through the mentoring programme and develop the sporting talents of teeming youths.
The state governor who gave the charge when the victorious Super Eagles paid him a courtesy call in Asaba said it was important for the youths to have mentors to enable them channel their talents positively.
According to him ‘’The state government is working out a programme to ensure that our sporting heroes help mentor our younger ones to become great sportsmen’’.
He enjoined the sporting heroes to key into the programme to enable the state achieve its dream and maintain its top position in sports in the country.
His words ‘’Sports is one of the key points in the actualisation of the Delta beyond oil policy and the state will continue to support sports to enable the youths utilize their skills’’.
While congratulating the team for winning the championship Dr Uduaghan commended the coach for his resilience and patience in giving his best even when people doubted the ability of the team to deliver.
The governor promised the state government’s continuous support for the team and prayed that the team would continue to excel in all their future competitions.
Dr Uduaghan also reiterated the state government’s peace and security agenda and assured all deltans and indeed Nigerians that the era of kidnapping was over in the state.
Emphasizing further he said ‘’We are waging war against kidnappers. In fact we are rechannelling the youth’s energy towards positive endeavours and kidnapping is not one of them’’.
He advised youths in the state to key into the various youth empowerment and development schemes so as to harness their talents positively.
Dr Uduaghan announced that the state government has allocated a plot of land to the team coach Stephen Keshi and promised to put up a befitting structure for him.
The governor thanked the President Dr Goodluck Jonathan for giving the state the opportunity to host the victorious Super Eagles.
Speaking earlier the Chief Coach Stephen Keshi expressed his gratitude to Nigerians for their support throughout the AFCON competition.
While stating that his goal at the championship was to bring smiles to the faces of Nigerians he promised that his team would continue to improve and ensure that Nigeria takes its pride of place in the African football map.
In his brief remark, the Chairman Delta State Sports Commission Mr Amaju Pinnick informed the gathering that Nigeria now ranked 30th in the recently released FIFA ranking.
He said that the victorious Super Eagles would serve as role models for the younger ones and they represent the mentoring spirit advocated by Governor Uduaghan at the sports summit held in Asaba.
Present at the occasion were members of the state executive council and former members of the Green Eagles including Mr Owolo, Mr Jossy Dumbrayie, Mr Etimike Godwin, Mr John Oganwu and Mr Dediarie.
