Bayelsa Governor Inaugurates World-Class Table Tennis Facility In Yenagoa

Bayelsa Governor Inaugurates World-Class Table Tennis Facility In Yenagoa

Precious Oham

It was a joyous moment as stakeholders in the sports sector across the country converged on Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, to inaugurate a world-class ultra-modern table tennis facility, the "Coastal Fortress", BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The Coastal Fortress is a state-of-the-art facility built by Ama-Ebi Ebikpolade Stow, the chairman of the Bayelsa State Table Tennis Association, to give table tennis players adequate preparation for tournaments.

Inaugurating the beautiful edifice, Governor Douye Diri, who was accompanied by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo and other political appointees, noted that the initiator of the project, Mr. Ama-Ebi Ebikpolade Stow, has written his name in gold, describing the event as a momentous occasion.

He noted that sports development remains one of the key pillars of his administration's "Assured" Prosperity programme, maintaining that sports is one area that can positively take the youths away from crime and criminality.

According to the state helmsman, sports have given the youths in the state a means of livelihood apart from education, stating that sports as a skill have ensured many youths in the world are self-reliant.

He noted that Team Nigeria's brilliant outing in the just-concluded African Senior Wrestling Championship in Casablanca, Morocco, was a reflection of the huge investment in the development of sports, saying that wrestling remains a sport in which Bayelsa enjoys a comparative advantage.

Governor Diri, while appreciating the Bayelsa State Table Tennis Association chairman for his investment in table tennis, asserted that Mr. Stow has reduced the pressure on government, urging other well-meaning Bayelsans to invest in sports development.