President of  Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Solomon Ogba has backed the comments of Amaju Pinnick who told Deltans that one way of ensuring that the state continues to lead in sports in Nigeria was to continue the sports programmes of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.

Uduaghan

Ogba, as commissioner for sports in Delta State for eight years, played great role in developing sports in the state.

Delta employs athletes more than any other state. They send their coaches to courses at home and abroad.

They organise clinics for referees. They have a youth development programme to engage athletes from different sports. They have helped many of their athletes secure academic scholarships abroad. Delta has up to six stadia. Two in Asaba and Sapele are under construction.

“The state will do more in the coming years,” Pinnick said from London, adding “it is no magic that the state has continued to come first in almost all competitions.”

Pinnick said that Uduaghan’s investment in sports was encouraging.

“We all know that Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan is not only serious with sports development, he also uses sports as part of his tool to achieve human capital development which is one of the cardinal promises and which he is steadily achieving.

That’s why I feel strongly that the youth in Delta and many who appreciate the importance of sports should ensure he returns in office to do more for our people”.

Ogba said that more was coming the way of the state and that “more things will be done to take sports to another level in the state.”