Annual CJN sports competition gets underway in Bayelsa

The 27th  edition of the annual Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) sports competition got underway on Tuesday evening at the Samson Siasia sports complex, Yenagoa, with courts and other judicial bodies at both the Federal and States level competing. Declaring the Games open on Tuesday evening, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Mohammed, urged judicial workers to be actively involved in sports, to avert health challenges given the sedentary nature of their jobs. Our correspondent reports that this is the first time the fiesta is holding in Bayelsa and being  hosted by the Bayelsa state judiciary.Represented by the Chief Judge of Bayelsa, Justice Kate Abiri, the CJN urged states’ judiciary to take the competition seriously, urging participants to also exhibit the spirit of sportsmanship.Earlier, President of the National Sports Association for Judiciary, Mr Emeka Ndili, applauded Bayelsa for hosting the event, expressing the hope that the competition would be memorable.In his remarks, Gov. Douye Diri, represented by the Secretary to the state government, Konbowei Benson, pledged the Administration’s readiness to invest in sport development, given the huge achievements recorded by the state’s athletes in various sporting competitions.The opening ceremony featured a colourful march past by the participating teams with the National Judicial Institute emerging winners, clinching the first medal of the competition.In the opening football match, hosts Team Bayelsa upset the Supreme Court Team by a lone goal.NAN reports that the participating judicial bodies, affiliated courts and states’ Judiciary are taking part in 11 sporting events at the Fiesta, billed to end on Sept. 30.