The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Thursday identified secondary school inter-house sports competition as a veritable platform for Olympic talents hunt in the country.
Mr Ikharo Attah, the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, stated this at the 20th Annual Inter-House Sports Competition held at Government Secondary School Nyanya, Abuja.
Attah said that the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello and the Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Aliyu both believed in combination of sporting and education as a viable tool in ensuring that students were properly developed.
According to him, this will enable students shun the twine vices of drugs abuse and cultism.
“The FCT Administration believes that secondary school inter-house sports competition avails us the opportunity for talent hurting.
“Because from places like, this great talent that will stand in for Olympics NUGA games in the university and other very vital national games were discovered,” Attah said.
He expressed optimism that the inter-house competition would avail the school management and government opportunity to fish out talents that would do not just the FCT proud but the nation.
Attaj said that the FCT Minister had directed him to make a passionate appeal to the students across the territory to shun vices of cultism and drugs addiction.
“Because your future remains bright and it will not be blink if you decide to follow the right path.
“So, please do all you can don’t get involved in cultism, gangsters and don’t fraternise with men that do not represent the moral standard of your parents, faith and calling,” he said.
Earlier, the Principal of the School, Mrs Olure Irewole, said sports promote discipline and academic brilliance as well as provide opportunity for students to come closer to one another to form bonds and friendship.
She appealed to the FCT Administration to provide a big hall for indoor games which were recently introduced to the students such as Scrabble, Chest, Ludo, and Ayo.
She also appealed to the administration to support the school with sports equipment such as jersey, balls, nets and upgrade the school sports field to a standard one.
Also, Mrs Nanre Emeje, the acting Chairman, FCT Secondary Education Board, disclosed that three students of FCT discovered through inter-house sports were already participating at the international athletics outside the country.
“They were picked in two of our schools in Jiwa and Deidei.”
She, however, urged students to take their academic activities seriously. (NAN)
