By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North Central, in Minna)
The Director-General (New Media) to Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa state, Mr. Samuel Kolawole Oredipe, has said that, 'Team Bayelsa' is participating in the 22nd National Sports Festival (NSF), Ogun 2024 to emerge tops in all the fiesta.
Kolawole who also bragged that Bayelsa state had maintained steady lead in virtually all the sports said, "We are here to amass all the medals like we did in the previous National Sports Festivals".
Addressing SWAN members last weekend, Kolawole told Sports Writers at the June 12 Sports Centre, Abeokuta, venue for the briefing that Bayelsa intends to produce more champions of national and international repute.
The Governor's Aide who was the Assistant Director, News, Radio Nigeria, south-south zone, said due to the importance attached to Sports and Youths empowerment, Governor Bayelsa state invested so much grooming sports men and women from the scratch and that is one of the reasons why the state does not depend on hiring athletes.
"In Nigeria today, Bayelsa state is leading in every sports. We are grooming them, we are aiming at the 1st position at the end of the fiesta", he said.
Due to his love for sports and as well for youths empowerment, Kolawole, a middle distance runner in the 90s said Governor Duoye Diri had embarked on the construction of 25, 000 sitting capacity stadium in Yenegoa besides other investments in sports.
Kolawole who used the occasion to inform Sports Journalists of his plans to contest the south-south zonal Board member of Athletes Federation of Nigeria (AFN) said he has not only been an active member of SWAN in, Rivers state chapter but still an athlete and a Coach besides other important positions in sports world.
Currently the vice-Chairman, Bayelsa state Athletics Association and founder of, SamKay Athletics Club, Kolawole expressed preparedness to invest more in discovering and nurturing future champions in track and field. NNL.
