By Brenda Chidinma Imo-Eze
The Director of Sports in Ebonyi State, Alep David, has appealed for the recruitment of more manpower in the State Sports Council to address the shortage of professional bodies and qualified coaches hindering sports development.
Mr. David made the appeal during a familiarization visit by executives of the Ebonyi State chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), led by Chairman Ndubuisi Andy Nwogha.
He disclosed that the Sports Council currently suffers from low staff strength, stressing that the lack of coaches and technical personnel remains a major challenge.
“The Sports Council lacks professional bodies; we lack coaches, and the staff strength is low. We are directors, and we must speak for sports development at every level we find ourselves,” he said.
Despite the challenges, the Director maintained that hockey has come to stay in Ebonyi, describing it as one of the state’s most successful sporting teams in previous years.
“When I came into the state newly, hockey was one of the most fruitful teams. Anytime they went out for competitions, they always came back with medals. Hockey is a game that has come to stay in Ebonyi,” he added.
Mr. David also noted that cricket, which once struggled like hockey in its early days, has now grown significantly and is making waves nationally and internationally. He likened its rise to the growing influence of Abakaliki FC in football, noting that the present administration has shown commitment to reviving and developing sporting activities beyond football.
He assured SWAN that the association remains recognised both at the state and national levels and pledged continued collaboration. According to him, neither the present government nor the Commissioner for Sports would abolish SWAN, promising that the association would be carried along in empowerment programmes and provided with office accommodation at the state stadium, as obtained in other states.
The Director commended SWAN for its role as the “engine room of communication,” urging members to project the positive developments in Ebonyi sports to the wider public.
Earlier, the SWAN Chairman, Ebonyi State chapter, Ndubuisi Andy Nwogha, appreciated the Director for the warm reception and affirmed that the association would continue to work in synergy with the Sports Council to ensure sporting activities in the state are well publicised.
Other stakeholders who spoke at the event included the former SWAN Chairman and Editor of the News Agency of Nigeria, Chief Emeka Okpara, and the association’s Treasurer, Comrade Chukwuma Ogbonna, popularly known as Torchlight, among others.