Abia State Government has concluded plans to partner Hungarian scouts to establish an international sports college/academy in the state.
The state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu disclosed this on Monday while intimating newsmen on the outcome of the week’s State Executive Council meeting chaired by the governor himself, disclosing that the partnership will lead to the scouts taking the kids to Hungary for training.
“There is an initiative and partnership taking place between the state government and some scouts from Hungary, who are already in the state as the first edition of the Governor’s Unity Games among secondary schools is ongoing in Umuahia.
“The partnership would lead to an establishment of an International Sports College in Abia to provide opportunities for the young talents in the various sports activities to express themselves even beyond the shores of Nigeria.
“In line with the strategic approach to governance by Governor Otti and this government, almost every sector is receiving attention and sports is very much in the frame. There is ongoing sports and there are scouts from Hungary. They have come to scout those kids. Government wants to run sports as a business that will at the end of the day benefit our youths.”
The Commissioner further disclosed that the state government, in a bid to end touting in the state has approved the setting up of a unified taskforce to handle all sorts of enforcements for the state government and local government, adding that the unified taskforce would handle all issues of enforcement of government policies and initiatives across the state.
As a result therefore, the commissioner said the state government is set to hold a retreat for the members of the taskforce ahead of their formal inauguration by the state government, disclosing that the members of the unified taskorce would be drawn from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and the Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the metropolis, aimed at making “touting and unnecessary harassment of citizens become a thing of the past in the state”.
Speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma said that the unified taskforce is divided into 6 zones with Umuahia having 2 and Aba 4 zones, adding that the taskforce has coordinators with the responsibilities of ensuring that the activities of the taskforce are in tandem with the mandate given it.
“The essence of what government is doing as far as this one is concerned is to bring to an end, anything that has to do with touting, illegal taskforce and all the rest of them. We were used to having individuals harassing people, intimidating them , extorting them in the name of taskforce.
“So, we want to move away from that old order and that is why, this one is well organized, the members will be known, they are all going to be remunerated. It is not the one where people will just do all kinds of things to make money and put in their pockets in the name of collecting revenue for government . They are going to operate in a most responsible manner,” he said.