NBBF board accused of illegal tenure extension
...Wants FIBA to declare that outgone NBBF President and Board have exceeded their tenure
a day ago
Williams wants Rugby back at NSF
Obong Ntiense Williams has pleaded with both the Chairman and Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC) to ensure a return of Rugby to the National Sports Festival.
Williams wants Rugby back at NSF
A prominent Rugby administrator and coach, Obong Ntiense Williams has pleaded with both the Chairman and Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC) to ensure a return of Rugby to the National Sports Festival.
In a letter tagged "A passionate for Rugby to be returned to the National Sports Festival, Williams hailed the NSC chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko for his encouragement of returning Rugby to the Festival even though it was dropped at the last minute at the Directors Meeting.
"We will like to thank you for encouraging our offshoot version called Flag Football as a Demonstration event at the present Gateway Games.
Williams popularly called "Mr Rugby" who was a former Technical Director of the Rugby Federation was instrumental to the formation of the Rugby Federation during his Service year with the Federal Ministry of Youth & Sports in Abuja from 1998 / 9, said Rugby has become so popular in the country that they have set up offices in 24 out of the 36 states in Nigeria.
"So, the popularity of the sports in the country is enormous. Now that Rugby is an Olympics Sports, it is expedient to add it as one of the team sports like Hockey, Volleyball, Basketball, Handball, and football," he pleaded.
He lauded the NSC boss for introducing the Invited Junior Athletes initiative (IJA) and prayed that the initiative is sustained to help our athletes reach the podium at the Olympics and other international sporting events in the years to come.
He lamented Rugby which debuted as Exhibition Sport at the 1998 NSF in Imo State and a Scoring event at the Gateway Games in 2006 was dropped at the Kada Games in 2009 and has remain so.
"By then in 2009, Rugby was not yet an Olympics Sports. RUGBY thereafter returned to the Olympics in Rio 2016 as a Scoring Event. Unfortunately we have been chasing after the optional Sports slots which has been very difficult especially as Rugby is a team sports.
"Now that Rugby is an Olympics Sports, it is expedient to add it as one of the team sports like Hockey, Volleyball, Basketball, Handball, and Football please.
"The current situation has led to states laying off Rugby players, making it challenging for the game's development. A permanent inclusion in the National Sports Festival would provide a platform for states to invest in Rugby, thereby promoting its growth given the fact that Rugby is a Scoring Event at the All Africa Games, Commonwealth Games, Olympics Games with Two World Cups (First team sports with two World Cups every four years) and it features in many other world sports platforms.
"It will interest you to note that Nigerian are well suited to play this beautiful game and achieve stardom as many prominent Nigerians are plying their trade in high profile professional Rugby outfits around the world. Presently a Nigerian is the Captain of the England national team, being the second. The first actually won the first Rugby 7's Rugby World Cup in 1993 alongside 4 other Nigerians in the team.
"It is therefore for these main reasons and much more that we are passionately appealing for you to once again use your good office to help us return to the next edition of the National Sports Festival in Enugu on a permanent basis as an Olympic Sports like Volleyball, Basketball, Handball, Hockey, and Football respectively are presently listed.
"As a matter of fact, it is only when a sports is scoring at the ENUGU National Sports Festival that any State will be interested to get involved in it, and that in turn will help us propagate it's gospel adequately around the country," he said.
