By Muhammad Ibrahim, Sokoto
The first place position clinched by the Sokoto state handball team at the end of the final match
during the Under-15 handball competition may have spurred the state Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, to donate N10 million to all the participants.
This is not the first time the handball team, Rima Strikers, has been making the state proud. It won gold medals and emerged champions at the 2021 National Youths Games for Under 15 at Ilorin, Kwara State. Also in the same year the National Handball Premier League held in Abuja, the team came fourth and represented Nigeria at the all African Handball Championship in Morocco
Equally, its female counterparts, the Rima Queens also came first at the National Division One Female Handball Championship at Benin, Edo State, thus gaining promotion into the Premier Division.
In continuation of its remarkable feat, the team, once more, became victorious on Sunday at the close of the national Under-12/15 Boys and Girls Handball Championship held at Giginya Memorial Stadium, Sokoto.
They thrashed Kebbi Equity by 21 goals to 8, thereby earning more pleasures of Gov Tambuwal
who announced the donation of N25,000 naira to each of the 400 participants.
According to the Governor, his administration has committed huge resources to the provision of enabling environment for sports to flourish in the state.
He said his administration have engaged in the construction and rehabilitation of sports facilities and infrastructure in order to provide an enabling environment for sports to flourish in the state.
He enumerated some of these as: the 11,000-capacity world class stadium nearing completion,
a multipurpose indoor hall games facilities, also nearing completion and the redesign and reconstruction of the games courts in Giginya stadium.
The governor called on sports men and women to take advantage of these facilities being put in place by the Sokoto State Government to continue to exploit their potentials, so as to find employment and seek glory for themselves, the state and nation at large.
He admonished that it is paramount for governments to support creativity, innovation and sports in the interest of the youth and our nation, noting that the development of sports as an industry is part of his government’s agenda.
“We shall, therefore, remain focused and resolute in our determination to make Sokoto State the hub of sports in this country by pursuing our roadmap for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals that are related to healthy living, and sustainable socioeconomic growth,” he said.
He reiterated his adminstration’s commitment to continue supporting athletes to showcase their talents in the national and international arenas, as the government remains focused on guaranteeing their welfare and that of their officials.
In consideration of the reclassification of sports from a recreational to a business concern, the governor deem it imperative to call on the private sector and wealthy individuals to join the State Government in strengthening sports in the state, since government alone cannot shoulder all the demands of the sector.
In his remarks, the commissioner of information Akibu Dalhatu who is also the overseer of the ministry of youth and sports, said the state government has indeed, shown great zeal in supporting all youth related programmes with sporting activities receiving a deserving attention.
In his remarks, the President Handball
Federation on Nigeria, Samuel Ochecho who was represented by National Vice President and sokoto state commissioner for Land and Housing Aminu Bala Bodinga said, the sponsorship of Handball competition for three consecutive years by Sokoto state government has lifted the good image of the state, not only in Nigeria but in the world of handball community.
