Sports Minister, Owan-Enoh tasks senior ministry officials on development plan for discovered talents

Posted : 18 October 2023

The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has charged Heads of Departments of the Ministry to develop strategic plans that will define the growth path of talents discovered at the recently concluded National Youth Games in Asaba, the capital of Delta State.

Senator Enoh, who chaired an interactive meeting with senior officials of the ministry alongside Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, stated that such a strategic plan should be able to keep talented athletes under the Ministry's radar and also define a clear path for them to excel in various sports.

He emphasized that it was important to sustain the interest of these talented athletes in their respective sports, as they could easily lose interest if no plan is put in place to harness their talents.

Beyond the just-concluded National Youth Games, Senator Enoh stated that what the Ministry does with these discovered talents is more important than the emphasis on the medals table and the states that achieved the highest medals haul.

The Minister called for greater synergy among the different departments to achieve this objective. He stressed that it was important to show Nigerians the growth trajectory of these talented athletes before the next National Youth Games.

“If we are able to showcase what we have accomplished with these discovered talents before the next National Youth Games, it will inspire confidence and gain support from Nigerians and relevant stakeholders,” the Minister said. “It should not be business as usual.”

He stressed that under his leadership, failure to take decisive action on this issue is not an option.

He warned that if the Ministry failed to come up with implementable plans for the way forward, sports enthusiasts in Nigeria would soon demand accountability.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ismaila Abubakar, said that the essence of the meeting was for the Ministry to evaluate its performance at the Games and come up with suggestions and ways the Ministry can improve in subsequent games.

He called for an open exchange of ideas among the senior officials of the Ministry present at the meeting.

The interactive session witnessed a frank exchange of ideas among various officials of the ministry.

These inputs will form part of a strategic plan outlining a path to success for the discovered talented athletes, which is being formulated by a team assembled by the Minister.

Sports Minister, Owan-Enoh tasks senior ministry officials on development plan for discovered talents

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