The Ministry of Sports Development and the Bayelsa State Sports Council has embarked on a future aces project to discover talents for the State in the future.
The “Bayelsa Aces Project” is aimed at discovering talents for the State in future from the various secondary schools in Bayelsa.
Bayelsa Aces Project which is the brainchild of the governor, Senator Douye Diri kicked off on Friday with Ijaw National Academy, Kaiama as the first point of call for the laudable initiative.
Commissioner for Sports Development, Dr Daniel Igali in a remark, said the government is deliberate about the development of sports at the grassroots and the importance of combining education and sports.
According to him, with the governor’s ASSURED mantra that there was need to take the message to the grassroots, maintaining that young athletes need to learn how to loss and win that the lives of many athletes have been destroyed before the age of eighteen.
He urged the athletes to be gracious in victory and as well see defeat as part of life, stating that the “Bayelsa Future Aces Project” teaches persistence, leadership skills and perseverance amongst students in schools.
The commissioner explained that the ministry in collaboration with ministry of education would be going to schools in every two weeks, pointing out that the idea of the program was to include students from the Ijaw National Academy in the youth games and the National Sports Festival.
Also, Director of Sports, Sir Braveman Wodi noted that the initiative was to consolidate on the gains of the National Youth Games, stressing that their intention is to get more young Bayelsans involved in sports describing sports as multi dimensional.
He asserted that data of the students have been collated in the various sports they intend to participate, pointing out that coaches and secretaries would be assigned to students to give them the basic training.
Sir Wodi pointed out that the project is developmental in nature and it is aimed at educating and sensitizing school students on the benefits and importance of sports.
Two students of Ijaw National Academy Kaiama, Joseph Barrister and Grace Ogadima in an interview, appreciated the Ministry of Sports Development and the Bayelsa State Sports Council for the laudable initiative.
The duo of Barrister and Ogadima noted that they are elated to combine their education and sports, urging the government to construct more sporting facilities in the school in order to enable them realize their potential.
The highpoint of the event was a demonstration from various sports to students.
