By

Kenneth Chiabuotu Odanwu

Abia State Ministry of Sports and Youth Development.

odanwukenneth@gmail.com.

Our promise of ‘A New Abia’ is not a mere political slogan but a conscious decision to build Abia State of great and equal opportunities for all.

 

In a space of 2-years, the administration of His Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, has demonstrated unparalleled quality leadership delivery in all areas, including the Sports and Youth development sector.

 

A careful study of our administration’s landmark achievements in 2-years reveals that as His Excellency has always stated “For us, governance is about stewardship and leadership,” and this article is a 2-years account of our stewardship in the Sports and Youth sector.

 

It is incontestable as shown by available records that before the emergence of the current administration in the state under the leadership of His Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti,OFR, sports and Youth development was at a zero level in the state. Today, within 2-years in office, the current administration has redefined sports in the state and placed Abia State as a sports destination with a global spotlight.

 

Within 2-years of this administration, our athletes and officials of various sports have exhibited excellence in state, Zonal, National and International competitions, winning laurels, breaking and

setting new world records and placing Abia significantly in a global sporting map.

 

Below are a few among the litany of our administration’s achievements in the Sports and Youth Development sector within a space of 2-years in office:

 

1. *Introduction of 2 hours a week of Physical Education (PE) in our schools across the state:*

 

Understanding that to produce professional athletes who will present the state and compete with other athletes both nationally and internationally we have to groom them from the foundational level, the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development initiated and introduced 2 hours a week Physical Education (PE) in our schools across the state with monitoring and evaluation team to assess the level of compliance. The outcome of this effort is the annual Abia State Governor’s Secondary Schools Unity Games.

 

2. *Redefining Sports and Positioning Abia State as a Sports Destination with Global Spotlight:*

 

To be seen and heard both nationally and internationally, the Abia State Ministry of Sports and Youth Development has taken a good number of measures to announce the sports ingenuity of the state on the global stage. One of such measures we have taken includes participation in national and international competitions such as National Youth Games, Paralympic Games in Paris France, etc, wherein we have won Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals.

 

3. *Introduction of New Sports into our State Sports Council and Procurement of Sports Equipment:*

 

To ensure that our young talents are well harnessed, my Ministry has introduced new Sports into the state Sports Council. Such games include: Teqball, Rugby, Speedball, etc, and understanding that without Sports equipment those who have interest in such games will have nothing to train with, we have procured some Sports equipment to meet the Sports needs of our young athletes.

 

4. *Building and Renovation of Sports Facilities:*

 

To ensure a conducive environment for our sporting activities, we have been able to give facelifts to some of our sports facilities such as the renovation of the Umuahia Township Indoor Sports Halls, Building of Abia State Sports Council Athletics Camp in partnership with Mr. Innocent Iheme, etc.

 

5. *Youth Empowerment through Skills Acquisition Program:*

 

To make our youths self-reliant and ambassadors of the state, we have initiated some Skills Acquisition Program such as: Abia Digi-Skill-up Program facilitated by *Learnfactory Nigeria,* Fashion Future Program facilitated by *Ethnocentrique Foundation,* *Youth In-Agriculture Training Program* facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, etc. While the Abia Digi-Skill-up Program aims to train 1, 500 across the three Senatorial Zones in Advanced Digital Skills, the Fashion Future Program which onboarded 2,000 Youths on its pilot phase and 3,000 youths on its second phase, aims at empowering Abia Youths with leather works and other skills and then the Youths In-Agriculture Training Program have seen to the training of 29 Abia Youths in different Agricultural skills areas.

 

PARTICIPATION IN NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS.

 

It’s been a beehive of Sporting activities in Abia State since the current administration in the state came onboard and we have recorded significant landmark achievements as can be seen below in no special order:

 

1. In recognition of His Excellency’s contribution to sports development and his magnanimity in building a State-of-the-art Indoor Sports Halls at the Umuahia Township Stadium, U-12/15 Male and Female National Handball championship was held at the Umuahia Township Stadium from 18th – 28th March, 2025, under the sponsorship of His Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR. It is interesting to know that 12 states across the country participated in this competition and 77 matches were played and following the outstanding performances of our Handball players, Abia State secured Gold for the U-15 Male and Female.

 

2. In 2024, the Abia State Ministry of Sports and Youth Development introduced Abia Sports Festival tagged “Abia State Governor’s Secondary School Games” aimed at identifying talents in various Sports across the Local Government Areas of our state and developing them into professional athletes. This effort is already yielding significant results as those identified last year during the competition are being developed and have participated in various national competitions and brought home laurels.

 

2. The Abia State U-15 Table Tennis Stargirl, Chinenye Grace Okafor won a gold medal in the 56th Molade okoya Thomas National Table Tennis Championship held in Lagos State. Abia State Table Tennis athlete, Chinenye Grace Okafor defeated her Delta state counterpart, Miss Peace by 3 – 2 sets to win the gold medal. This was the 1st medal Abia State won in the 2025 Sports season.

 

3. At the 6TH NATIONAL U-17 (PWC) CRICKET CHAMPIONSHIP SOUTH EAST ZONAL ELIMINATION IN AFIKPO, EBONYI STATE FROM 7TH – 11TH FEBRUARY, 2025, 4 Abia players were selected to join other players to represent South East at the National Finals while Abia State Cricket Secretary, Ochea-Idika Olivia Uju was appointed as the South East Team Chaperon. This was as a result of the stellar performances of Abia Athletes.

 

4. The Abia State Para-Badminton team participated and secured a Bronze Medal in the Men’s SL3-SL4 Doubles at the Spanish Level 1 International Para-Badminton Championship held in Toledo, Madrid, Spain.

 

5. To promote sports development at the grassroots level, the Abia State Ministry of Sports and Youth Development in collaboration with Donko Care Foundation, organized the Intervillage Unity Cup and the finals of the competition which was between Ngwa and Ohafia was played at the Enyimba International Stadium on Monday, 17th March, 2025.

 

6. To promote board games and grassroot Sports Development in Abia State, the Abia State Ministry of Sports and Youth Development in collaboration with Blockchain Breeders on Friday, 14th March, 2025 launched Chess and Scrabble Club in Abia State.

 

7. The Abia State Ministry of Sports and Youth Development in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development trained 19 Abia Youths in Product Sales and Marketing in Ngwo Enugu State.

 

8. Abia State Athletes participated at the YUCATECO BOXING LEAGUE RIVERS STATE SEASON 2 on 8th June, 2024 and won 1 gold and 2 silvers.

 

9. At the South-East Karate championship in Enugu from 23rd – 26th October, 2024, Team Abia won 3 Gold and 1 Bronze.

 

10. At the 1st Senator Abiru Mixed Team Table Tennis Championship in Lagos from 31st October – 2nd November, 2024, Abia State Junior team defeated Togo senior team 3: 1

 

11. At the South – East Bet9ja Badminton championship in Enugu from 27th – 29th October, 2024, Abia won 2 silvers and 3 Bronze

 

12. At the South – East U-12 & U-15 Handball Championship in Owerri, Imo state from 12th – 15th November, 2024, Abia U-15 Female came 1st while U-15 Male came 3rd

 

13. At the 1st Egypt Para-Badminton Championship from 22nd – 28th January, 2024, Abia won 2 Gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze

 

14. At World Para Powerlifting championship in Egypt from 19th – 25th March, 2024, Abia won a total of 4 Gold

 

15. At the Paques Au Dogo, organized by Lions Club Lome Togo from 30th March – 1st April, 2024, Abia Judo players won 2 Gold.

 

16. At the World Cup Para Powerlifting championship in Tbilisi Georgia U.S.A from 20th – 23rd June, 2024, Abia won 1 gold and 1 silver

 

17. At the Uganda Para-Badminton Championship in Kampala from 2nd – 7th July, 2024, Abia won 2 silvers.

 

18. At the 2nd South – East Zonal Chess Championship and National Arbiters Seminar Umuahia from 20th – 23rd November, 2024, Abia won Bronze in the men’s category and Gold and Silver medals in the U-16 category.

 

19. At the 2nd Para Games Abuja from 7th – 15th December, 2023, Abia State came 2nd position with 16 Gold, 8 Silver and 11 Bronze medals.

 

20. Abia State Judo players participated at the Ekus Judo Championship, in Benin City, Edo State from 24th-27th April, 2024.

 

21. At the MTN Athletics Championship in Calabar from 30th April -3rd May, 2024, Abia won 8 Gold, 4 Silver and 2 bronze Medals.

 

22. At the 4th Edition of South-South/South-East Offiong Edem Table Tennis Championship in Calabar from 5th – 6th July, 2024, Abia clinched 2 Gold and 1 Bronze Medal.

 

23. At the Mc Arc Services South-East/South-South under 15 and under 13 Hockey 5 Aside Tournament, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State from 26th – 27th July, 2024, Abia under 15 came 2nd position while Abia under 13 came 3rd position.

 

24. At the 5th Dr. A. A Efunkoya Table Tennis National Cadet Championship 2024 in Lagos, Abia won 1 Silver.

 

25. At the 8th National Youth Games Asaba, 2024 Delta State from 9th- 19th September, 2024,. Abia came 10th Position clinching 7 Gold, 12 Sliver and 12 Bronze Medals.

 

26. At the 6th Edition of South – East open Taekwondo Championship in Owerri from 17 – 22nd April, 2024, Abia won a total of 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze Medals.

 

27. Abia State participated at His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo 5th National Squash Championship, in Abeokuta Ogun State from 19th – 24th August, 2024.

 

28. At the Yucateco Boxing League Season 2 Lagos on 11th August, 2024, Abia won 2 Gold.

 

29. At the Handball Division One League in Edo State from 15th – 20th July, 2024, Abia’s female team emerged 3rd position.

 

30. At the NDDC Sports Festival held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State from 1st- 9th April 2025, Abia State came 7th position with a total of 9 Gold, 10 silver and 13 bronze medals making it a total of 32 medals.

 

31. At the Offiong Edem Table Tennis championship in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom from 17th-19th April, 2025, Chinenye Okafor -1 Gold, Emelike Elizabeth -1 bronze, Emelike Elizabeth-1 Gold (under 15 women), making it a total of 2Gold, and 1 bronz

 

32. Abia State participated in the 5th edition of Michael and Felicia Alabi Table Tennis championship 2025 in Osun state from 27th -3rd May, 2025.

 

33. At the Paralympic Games in Paris France 2024, Abia won 1 gold and 1 silver.

 

34. Renovation of Enyimba Stadium

 

35. Renovation of Umuahia Township Stadium Indoor Sports Halls

 

36. Construction of Athletic camps at the Umuahia Township Stadium

 

37. Abia Warriors played FA finals in 2024 and secured secured position

 

38. Enyimba FC qualified for CAF in 2024

 

39. Abia Warriors qualified for CAF in 2025

Etc.

 

Outline of Our Near-term Outlook:

 

As the current administration in the state marks 2-years in office, below are some outlines of our near-time outlook:

 

1. Hosting of the 1st Edition of Abia State Para-Badminton International Tournament and All African Para-Badminton Championships in Umuahia:

 

In recognition of the unparalleled contributions of the administration of His Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, to Sports Development and achievements so far in both national and international competitions, the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) has awarded Nigeria, precisely Abia State the right to host the above mentioned twin championships in Abia State this year. This is the first time these twin prestigious championships will be hosted in West Africa. In preparation for these championships, the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) has sent a delegation to inspect facilities on ground ahead which they have come and while they appreciated what we have on ground,they pointed out some other necessary requirements that must be put in place such as Wheelchair Accessible Bus, Wheelchair Badminton PP Interlocking Tiles Floor, Indoor Flood Lights, Strong Internet connection for Live Streaming, etc. Efforts are on top gear to meet up with these remaining requirements and both Main Organizing Committee (MOC) and Local Organizing Committee (LOC) have been inaugurated with Sub-committees working tirelessly to ensure the success of the competition in September.

 

2. Creating critical Opportunities for Youth Development and Raising Critical Support for Human Capital Development to match the Infrastructural Development happening in Abia State:*

 

Our overarching goal is to reposition Abia State as Nigeria’s premier Skills Export Hub. Recognizing the importance of hunan

capital in sustaining infrastructural advancements, the Ministry of Youth Development is committed to forging strategic partnerships

that enhances skills development across diverse sectors.

In 2025, our focus is clear: Abia’s Youth First.

We will implement innovative programs, initiatives, and partnerships

to: Equip youths with globally relevant skills,

Foster entrepreneurial innovation, and expand opportunities for productive engagement in emerging industries.

 

3. *Establishment of the college and/or Department of Sports Excellence in Abia Polytechnic:*

 

Having discovered that one of the problems facing sports development and excellence in Nigeria is lack of a balance between academic background and field exercise, my Ministry is in discussion with the University of Worcester as well as the Rector of Abia Poly to establish a department of Sports Excellence where students will be able to pursue courses in various disciplines such as Sports Business Management, Sports and Exercises Management, Sports Coaching, Sports Psychology, Sports Physiotherapy, Sports Nutrition and more. The proposed programme will offer one-year certificate courses, as well as two-year National Diploma (ND) programs. This Program is intended to be a combined online and offline program where the University of Worcester will teach online will we borrow the University’s Sports Curriculum to teach our students offline here. This program will be of immense importance as our sportsmen and women with the knowledge of the courses will continue as coaches and sports administrators after retirement from active sporting activities.

 

4. *Establishment of Sports Endowment Fund through Government/Private Sector Initiative:*

 

Understanding that Sports of all kinds have become a very lucrative enterprise as many countries of the world such as Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Britain,Spain, France, Italy,etc as a result of their level of Sports Development, we hope to establish Sports Endowment Fund through Government/Private Sector Initiative in order to attain our envisioned level of Sports development. This is because no government can achieve the level of Sports development applicable in the above mentioned countries alone without the cooperation of the private sector and wealthy individuals in the society. Accordingly, my Ministry has engaged the O.J Bob Amanze Consult to assist the government of His Excellency achieve his level best in the field of Sports. This Consulting firm in partnership with the Abia State Ministry of Sports and Youth Development is proposing a contributory SPORTS TAX FUND of One Hundred Naira (#100) only payable by Abia Workforce and has categorized multinational companies domiciled in the state, Banks, Nigeria Industries, Market Unions,Road Transport Unions, Keke Unions, LGAs, Ministries, Parastatals, etc, on what they can contribute annually to the development of Sports in the state. Action documents for this initiative have been put in place waiting to be launched once it enjoys the consent of the government.

 

5. *Construction of the Abia State 40,000 Capacity FIFA Standard Olympic Stadium:*

 

It is on record that Abia State is the only state in the Federation that has Four (4) Football Clubs at the different National Leagues and, following our achievements so far in the area of Sports both nationally and internationally, Abia State has become a Sports destination with global spotlight and it is only fair that we build Sports facilities befitting of our global heights. In view of this, the Abia Ministry of Sports and Youth Development is looking forward to the construction of the Abia State 40,000 Capacity FIFA Standard Olympic Stadium.

 

6. *Revitalizing Vocational Learning: Building the Foundation for Meaningful Employment in Abia State:*

 

In an era where practical skills are key to unlocking economic

opportunities, the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development is committed to revitalizing vocational education as the cornerstone of meaningful employment and sustainable livelihoods in Abia State. Our vision is to Revitalize Vocational Education in Partnership with the Ministry of

Education to equip our youth with hands-on skills aligned with global

industry standards, foster innovation and entrepreneurship within

vOcational sectors, and create a robust ecosystem that bridges

vocational training with employment opportunities and enterprise

development.

 

7. *Establishment of the Abia State Sports Special Economic Zone (ASSEZ):*

 

The establishment of the Abia Sports Special Economic Zone (ASSEZ) will among other things achieve the following:

– A massive industrial development under the “Live, Work, Play” strategy for Real Estate Development;

– Enable the contribution of scalable manufacturing to accelerate the growth of the economy of the state;

– Assist in upscaling the standards of goods produced and improving Abia’s global competitiveness rankings;

– Increase the adoption of modern technology innovation in the production process;

– Provide opportunities for Small and Medium-scale sports goods manufacturers to access production processes that will enhance their operations and enable them to provide jobs for the teeming youths of the state;

– Accelerate the development of community-based sports facilities for creating local markets for Sports goods and equipment;

– Consolidate Abia State’s global brand positioning as the home of champions, the place where champions are grown, leveraging Enyimba International FC, Abia Warriors FC, Abia Comets FC, Abia Angels FC, Private Clubs with operational bases in the state, our Olympic Gold Medalists, etc to drive investment, tourism, and overall brand perception. Summarily, it is to promote economic growth and enhance the development of the Sports Sector through the creation of a Sports Special Economic Zone, which will serve as a hub for Sports infrastructure, training, manufacturing, and related industries with the above in mind that we have decided to partner and enter into an agreement with Sports Nigeria LTD/GTE to develop and operate the Framework and Implementation Plan for the establishment of Abia Sports Special Economic Zone (ASSEZ).

 

8. *S