… plans to internationalise Oredo local govt through sports
The Executive Chairman, Oredo Local Government Council, Dr. Tom Obaseki, on Thursday stated his administration’s commitment to sports development just as he vowed to internationalise his council area through sports.
The Oredo Council Boss made the commitment while declaring open a 3-day Boxing Tournament tagged, ‘Oredo Games’ at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.
Dr. Obaseki who revealed that sports is an integral part of his development programme vowed that his council will use sports in showcasing the God’s given talents that abound in Oredo Local Government Area and Edo as a whole.
‘We want to start the process of bringing back the good days of sports, and we are starting with boxing.
“Let me welcome everybody and appreciate the Executive Chairman, Edo State Sports Commission, Olympian Yussuf Alli for what he is doing for Edo State.
“We are recording another first with this Oredo Local Government Games Initiative. Just last week, we unveiled an innovation that will transform how we will attract capital to support the huge infrastructure development we are planning for Oredo.
“Today, we have started another first which is to lead the process of bringing back sports in the role sports play in the society.
“We have launched Oredo Games with boxing, but we are not going to stop at boxing.
“Edo has produced world class boxing champions like Davidson Andel and others who have taken the name of our state and country to the world. There is a strong connection between sports and development. That is what we are reenacting today.
“We want to encourage our people at the ward level to embrace the initiative and we thank all those behind this. We want to be proud to have athletes from Oredo at the world stage,” Dr. Obaseki said.
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony, the Executive Chairman, Edo State Sports Commission, Olympian Yussuf Alli, commended the Oredo Council Chairman for the vision and promised to support the laudable initiative.
“This is a laudable initiative that we as Sports Commission will like to support. This the first of it’s kind in our state.
“We urge all the councillors and wards representatives to be committed to the Council Chairman’s initiative.
“I am sure the Governor will be happy that the local government is also making good use of the stadium facilities he committed so much resources. It is in consonance with the proposed local government sports and we appeal to you chairman to support that initiative.
“This is how the Olympics started, with just three games in Athens; Boxing, Athletics and Cycling but today, Olympics is the biggest,” Alli said.
The competition which attracted boxers from other parts of the Federation including Ibadan, Lagos will come to an end on Saturday with medals and prizes for the winners.
