AWKA- Gov. Chukwuma Soludo has given about N4 million cash rewards to winners of the 2022 edition of Academicals football cup for primary and secondary schools in the state.
The cash reward was handed over to the schools and students who did exceptionally well at the Anambra State Sports Development Commission on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that cash prizes of N1 million and N500,000 were given to first and second places winners respectively in the male and female U17 categories while N500,000 and N250,000 given to first and second placed U13 or primary schools respectively.
Patrick-Estate Onyedum, Chairman of the Commission, who performed the ceremony on behalf of Soludo, congratulated the beneficiary on their deserved recognition and rewards.
He said the commission recognised the differences in the talent endowment of youths and would continue to provide the necessary environment for them to explore and achieve excellence.
He said sports was a critical component of the youth empowerment thrust of his administration and charged students to give as much attention to talent development as they did to their academics.
According to the chairman, we have our Anambra State Sports Solution Initiative (ANSSI) aimed at discovering national and Olympics champions from the earliest age.
“The 2023 edition of ANSSI was very successful, for the first time Anambra became champions in 100m, 200m, 4×100 relay and Volleyball at the National Youth Games, all these athletes were discovered during our school sports festival.
“We were compliant with age limits, somebody even said they should test our athletes as a matter of fact, three of them are on scholarship in Abuja High School where their parents could not have been able to pay.
“So congratulations for winning the Academicals, even though I had not assumed office when it was played, take your studies very seriously and whenever the opportunity of sports competition presents itself, grab it with your two hands,” he said.
Onyedum said Gov Soludo had graciously approved that the Anambra School Sports Festival would be a yearly event because of the success of the recent edition while charging schools and students to ensure they took part in the 2024 edition.
NAN reports that Ukpor High School in Nnewi South Local Government Area (LGA) and Washington Memorial Grammar got N1 million and N500,000 in the male U17 category.
In the female U17, Christ The Redeemer College, Amaesi, Aguata and Stella Maris College, Umueri in Anambra East got N1 million N500,000 respectively for first and second place finishes.
In the U13: category for primary schools, Umuaraba Primary School, Ukpor got N500,000 while Anyaegbunam Primary School, Onitsha N250,000 cash for placing first and second respectively.
Six students were given prize money of N25,000 each for emerging as best goalkeepers, highest goal scorers and most valuable players
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Rev. Fr Emmanuel Onuorah, Principal of Stella Maris College, Umueri thanked Soludo for the kind gesture.
Onuorah said the Anambra government was revolutionalising sports by the uncommon attention the grassroots was getting and promised that the school system would help achieve the desired objectives in sports.
“Not every child can solve mathematics on paper, others do it on football pitch, some intelligent people do not know how to drive but there are some illiterates that are formula 1 winners, so on behalf of all the schools, I want to thank the state government for big encouragement,” he said.(NAN)
