By Sam Oditah
Umuahia – The Commissioner for Sports in Abia, Chief Chinwe Nwanganga, said on Saturday that the state government would soon sign a Memorandum-of-Understanding (MoU) with an American firm to fully develop Nsulu Games Village.
Nwanganga said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia, while speaking on efforts of the present administration to develop sports in the state.
He said that representatives of the firm would visit the state in April for the signing of the agreement on provision of modern facilities for the training of talents in different fields of sports.
Nwanganga said that the games village, located in Isialangwa North Local Government Area of the state, would be used for the hunting of talents at the grassroots level.
“Sports have become a major source of financially-rewarding employment for youths all over the world.
“This administration intends to harness the potentials in sports by developing the sector to provide gainful employment for the youths,” the commissioner said.
He also said that Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu had approved N70 million for the commencement of the development of three sporting facilities in the three senatorial districts of Abia North, South and Central.
Nwanganga also spoke on the reconstruction of the Enyimba stadium in Aba, the economic hub of the state, and gave assurance that the project would soon be completed.
“We expect that the job would be completed in the next three months,” he said, adding that very soon Enyimba International FC would return to their base.
He appealed to the club’s teeming fans to exercise patience, pointing out that the reconstruction became necessary due to the deplorable state of the facility.
“We solicit for the understanding of the fans and apologise for the delay in completing the project as expected.
“I can assure you that soonest, Enyimba will return to play their games at the stadium,” he said.
NAN reports that the club, which had to play its home games in the NPFL and CAF Champions League last year in Umuahia and Port Harcourt, respectively, relocated fully to Calabar for the 2016/2017 league due to the ongoing reconstruction of the stadium.