Eleven days after the six day 5th National Open Para Badminton Championship Competition ended on 18 July, 2025 at Umuahia, the Abia state capital, about 1,017 participants drawn from secondary schools across the 17 state Councils yesterday 29, July, began a four day ( 29 July to 1st August ) second edition of the Abia State Governor’s Secondary Schools Unity Games holding in Umuahia Township Stadium.
Unlike in the Para Badminton Championship Competition that had
One hundred and twenty (120 ) participants drawn from 16 states in the country, about 1,017 drawn from public and private secondary schools across Abia state are competing in the 28 different sporting events in the Schools Games namely
football, basketball, taekwondo, wrestling, Judo, Athletics, Boxing, Swimming, para-athletics ,volleyball, shooting, among others.
While kicking off the competition, the state governor and Chief Sponsor of the Games, Dr Alex Otti described Sports as one sure way to get all round development adding that investment in youth and sports development is to ensure that all the citizenry are positively impacted.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Dr Caleb Ajagba, the governor further said that Sports provides a slot for youths to show their potentials that would spur them to making global impacts.
He enjoined officials to be fair to all the competitors, and urged the participants to strive to both win and lose honorably
The state Youth and Sports Development Mr Nwobilor Ananabar
had during a press conference ahead of the games, disclosed that the State Governor, Dr Alex Otti re-initiated sporting activities in the state as a platform to hunt and discover Sports Talents, re- awaken the spirit of Unity among the youths at the grassroots, adding that the Competition was designed to ginger, support physical and inter-school Sports activities, as well as encourage students in other areas , besides academic activities.
According to the Commissioner, the Competition had started at local Government levels, where the various Secondary Schools best Teams that emerged are therefrom, are representing their LGAs in this State Competition
Adding that the annual event is also to discover sporting talents in the state, the Commissioner further said that some of the talents discovered during the Games first edition in 2024 thereafter traveled abroad in pursuit of careers in sports.
” Three young athletes discovered during the maiden edition were invited to Hungary, while Barcelona Football Club invited another player and a local coach from Abia state for training and talent recruitment collaboration”.
He noted that many athletes who participated in that first edition, also represented Abia at the recently concluded National Sports Festival, and thus, demonstrated the impact of the state’s investment in grassroots sports development.
“Our goal is to revive school games across the state, so that we can catch them young and nurture them to global standards,”.
Talking on accommodation and feeding of the 1,017 competitors in Umuahia during the four day event, Permanent Secretary, of the Ministry , Dr Cyril Chibuike Nwaigwe, said that the state governor Otti adequately made excellent logistics provision for these throughout the duration of the competition.
The state Director of Sports, Comrade Obioma George, expressed optimism that from this Games second edition, more promising talents, will emerge, adding that it has attracted many Coaches, sports enthusiasts and scouts, including stakeholders who are keen in nurturing the next generation of Abia’s elite athletes.
According to him, many of the Under-15 athletes that represent Nigeria in Algeria, like rising Table Tennis Star, Chinyere Okafor, are from Abia, hence he is optimistic that from this competition that is open to both public and private schools, more Stars will emerge.
.
Reported By Gordi Udeajah
