By Ikemefuna Asika, Awka
Winners of the 2022 edition of Academicals football cup competition for primary and secondary schools in Anambra State have received 3 million 750 thousand Naira cash prize from the State government.
The money was presented to the teams on behalf of governor Chukwuma Soludo by the Chairman of Anambra State Sports Development Commission, Patrick Estate Onyedum at the Commission conference hall on Thursday.
Ukpor High School in Nnewi South Council area, winners of U-17 male category got a cash prize of N1 million while Washington Memorial Secondary school Onitsha the runners-up, got 500 thousand Naira.
In the female U-17 category, Christ the Redeemer College, Amesi, Aguata Council area and Stella Maris College Umueri, Anambra East Council area got 1 millon and 500 thousand Naira respectively for first and second positions.
In the U-13 category for primary Schools, Umuaraba Primary School Ukpor and Anyaegbunam Primary School collected 500 hundred thousand and 250 thousand Naira respectively for first and second positions.
Speaking on the occasion, Onyedum said the administration recognized the differences in the talent endowment of youths and would continue to provide the necessary environment for them to explore and achieve excellence.
He described sports as a critical component of the youth empowerment thrust of the Soludo administration and charged students to give as much attention to talent development as they did to their academics.
According to the Commission 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 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 now 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 disclosed that 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 take part in the 2024 edition.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Rev. Fr Emmanuel Onuorah, Principal of Stella Maris College, Umueri thanked Gov. Soludo for the kind gesture.
Onuorah said the Anambra government was revolutionalising sports by the uncommon attention the grassroot 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 the football pitch, some intelligent people do not know how to drive but there are some illustrates that are formula 1 winners, so on behalf of all the schools, I want to thank the State government for the big encouragement,” he said.
