The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has announced the re-introduction of the annual school sports festival, 25 years after the last edition.
Wike made the announcement during the grand finale of the maiden Nyesom Wike FCT School Sports Festival, at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Thursday.
The minister, represented by Ibrahim Aminu, Mandate Secretary, Social Development Secretariat, FCTA, explained that the school sports festival was designed to discover young talents.
He said that the last time school children across the six Area Councils of the FCT gathered to integrate and participate in sporting activities was over 25 years ago.
Wike said that the era of having only inter-house sports in FCT schools was over.
He added that at the end of inter-house sports, there would be a festival and other regional and national school sporting competitions that would take the school students and pupils to greater heights.
"The Nyesom Wike FCT School Sports Festival has come to stay annually in the FCT.
"We expect the support and partnership of our beloved parents and sponsors, both nationally and internationally, to make the sports festival a tourist attraction in FCT," he said.
The minister explained that the maiden sports festival tagged, "Discovering Young Stars", was part of efforts to make FCT a Hub for discovering young stars for Nigeria.
"We hope that the laurels won today will bring more smiles and hope to our children in FCT schools," Wike said.
Dr Danlami Hayyo, Mandate Secretary, Education Secretariat, said that the festival began with preliminaries in the eighth Zone of the FCT on Feb. 22, adding that the athletes worked very rigorously to get to the final.
Hayyo pledged the administration's commitment to sports development in public primary and secondary schools.
One of the coaches, David Daniel of Junior Secondary School, Gwako, said: "We won four gold medals, four silva and six bronze medals.
"We really appreciate the minister for resuscitating the sports festival. This festival has motivated my athletes so much and they can do better."
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in the Primary School Category, Local Government Education Authority Primary School, Kpadna, emerged overall winner with seven gold medals.
In the Junior Secondary School (JSS) Category, JSS Gwako emerged winner with four gold medals, while Government Secondary School, Karu, won the senior secondary school category with nine gold medals.
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