Alli assures Gov. Obaseki ESSC will produce ten thousand athletes annually

Members of the newly inaugurated Edo State Sports Commission (ESSC) have assured the His Excellency Godwin Obaseki that the commission will not only produce 10,000 athletes annually he mandated, but they will also surpass the figure.

Speaking on behalf of the board members ESSC Chairman Yussuf Alli said, 

“Our board is confident of producing at least 10,000 athletes every year in Edo State as mandated by Governor Obaseki.”

Alli stated that given the passion Obaseki has for sports and the support he and his team has enjoyed so far from him and the Deputy Governor, Edo State is going to witness a rebirth in sports soon.

“What has pleased me most since I resumed is the passion and love Governor has for sports. He has a deep understanding of the social and economic benefits that sports can bring to society and he is determined to ensure that those benefits are enjoyed by the people of Edo State.

"His goal is to see thousands of Edo-born athletes dominating sports locally and internationally and changing the fortunes of their families and even Edo State in the near future through sports.

"The immediate mandate he has given us is to design a program that will produce at least 10,000 athletes in Edo State every year. To achieve this, he has promised to give us all the support necessary to deliver on this huge but achievable task. Given our youth population which is in millions, this is definitely attainable.”

Alli revealed that the new ESSC team has already fashioned out a program to deliver on this mandate and will be sharing the details with Obaseki soon.

“The sheer social and economic activity that will be unleashed as we pursue this goal makes it worthy of pursuing. The trainers  we will engage to train the athletes, the facilities we will develop and refurbish and the hundreds of thousands of youth that we will engage and provide new opportunities for locally and internationally will positively affect every facet of life in Edo State and create unprecedented value for our people.’’

Alli said the new commission has plans in place to return Edo State back to its preeminent place in Nigerian sports. “Edo State has always been known to be the bedrock of sports in Nigeria. From producing star athletes to legacy competitions like Ogbe Hard International Tennis Tournament and to facilities like the Afuze Training Camp, a first of its kind in Africa.

"Ours is a state that breathes sports and Governor Obaseki is determined to bring those glory days back and do even better. We are working on a robust plan to optimize the investments Governor Obaseki has made over the past few years in sports facilities as we continue to repair and refurbish more facilities across the state. We want sports facilities in every part of the state in the next few years so that our young people can easily practice and compete anywhere they are.

"With this platform, we will then resume hosting national, regional and even global competitions here in Edo State. We have already demonstrated our capacity to host big events with the excellent hosting of the National Sports Festivals and playing host to the biggest national team in Africa, the Super Eagles. We want to build on all that success and even create new momentum to propel Edo State sports back to the top not just in Nigeria, but in Africa.”