Kaduna State Ministry of Sports Development rolls out 2020 sporting events

Kaduna State Ministry of Sports Development rolls out 2020 sporting events

By Jide Bodunde

The Kaduna State Ministry of Sports Development has rolled out its sporting programs for the year 2020.

The SA Media to the Commissioner for Sports Development, Ismail Umaru Lere, who represented the Commissioner, Professor Kabiru Muhammad Mato, made this known Thursday at the ministry's Conference room when addressing the media.

The Commissioner's SA Media announced nineteen (19) various events starting from January 20th,2020 - February 2021. He said the U-16 Clay Court Tennis Championship Boys and Girls single, sponsored by NOCACO is the first for the year and would commence from January 20th - 26th, 2020 at the Kaduna Club.

"We invited you (press) here to intimate you on the upcoming U-16 Clay Court Tennis Championship and other subsequent programmes lined up.

" Our mandate by the Kaduna state Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, is to revamp sports in the state and seek cooperate sponsors which we have carried out judiciously in the last few years with NOCACO taking the sponsorship of the U-16 Clay Court Championship beginning from the 20th of this month.

"The Hon. Commissioner is unavoidably absent due to official engagement, wants to revamp Clay Court Tennis in Kaduna state which used to be the centre of Clay Court Championship in the 70s.

" We decided to take it to the schools and have received over forty (40) entry forms from various secondary schools. We have also scouted around and discovered fifteen students from Kafanchan, Zaria and others from outside Kaduna.

The SA Media further explained how the ministry intend to nurture the talents discovered and how they intend to expand the centres in subsequent Championships.

"It's a developmental programme and we have engaged the services of the Tennis Federation for standard officiating.

" Ubale Mohammed is a National Team coach, he would help in monitoring, mentoring and nurturing the discovered talents. After this Championship, there will be clinic for U-14 and 15 in order to help them become future Tennis stars and that's why we created a standard by pegging the age limit to 16 and not above.

"There will be more Championships here in Kaduna as we are taking samples of the NNPC and UNTL courts aside the host Kaduna Club currently undergoing refurbishment which should be ready before the January 20th kickoff."

The seven day Boys and Girls single event would be on a round robin format amongst 54 students across various secondary schools in Kaduna State.

The 2020 first quarter events are as follows:

1. NOCACO U-16 Clay Court Tennis Championship, January 20th - 26th
2. National Sports Festival Elimination Series (North West) in Kebbi State, January 20th - 24th
3. Kaduna State Inter Schools Sports Competition, January 28th - February 1st
4. Kaduna State Governor's Cup (Football) final, February 8th
5. Kaduna State Sports Festival, February 24th -March 1st
6. Athletes Open and Close camping (Build up to National Sports Festival)
7. National Sports Festival in Benin, Edo State, March 20th -April 1st.

Others present at the press briefing include: Mohammed Dodo, SA Technical to the Hon. Commissioner, Jumai Nuhu, PRO Ministry of Sports Development, Comrade Benjamin Ishaya, Kaduna SWAN Chairman and member Media Committee and Zakari Isah, member, Media Committee.