By Kingsley Omonobi
The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd), has announced plans to establish a South-East Regional Basketball Championship aimed at discovering and nurturing grassroots sporting talents across the region.
Gen. Musa made the announcement in Umuahia during his visit to the Umuahia Township Stadium at the end of his three-day official working visit to Abia State.
In a statement on Saturday, his Special Assistant on Media, Leah Katung-Babatunde, said the minister interacted with young participants at an inaugural multi-age basketball camp organised by the Crossover Foundation, an initiative driven by Nigerians in the diaspora and basketball icons, the Achiuwa brothers.
Commending the foundation and the Abia State Government for their collaboration in expanding youth sports development, the Defence Minister, who is also a basketball enthusiast, announced an immediate donation of N2 million to support the camp’s activities.
He said the planned regional championship would provide a platform to unite and showcase emerging basketball talents from the five South-East states.
Gen. Musa urged parents to encourage their children to participate in organised sports, noting that athletics plays an important role in character development, leadership training and national cohesion.
He also disclosed that the Armed Forces of Nigeria would soon commence targeted sports recruitment programmes to provide promising young athletes with opportunities to build careers within the military.
In recognition of his support for youth sports development, the minister was presented with a signed basketball by NBA player Precious Achiuwa on behalf of the organisers.
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