The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has sealed a deal with the government of Bayelsa State Government to support the source for hidden talents and future stars through Asoama Sports Academy in the state capital, Yenagoa, megasportsarena.com reports.
The academy was set up with the aim of spotting and grooming young talents, which is now bound to m=be made easier with support from the ministry of sports.
This much was revealed by minister of sports, Sunday Akinlabi Dare’s special assistant on media, John Joshua Akanji, who disclosed that the agreement reached with the state government was concluded with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by both parties.
The agreement was sealed following a visit to the academy by Dare, who revealed that Asoama Sports Academy, which has more than 300 students, has been added to the list of facilities that are up for adoption under the Adoption Initiative of the Ministry.
Akanji added in a press release that the MoU will look at different levels of support and logistics, as the ministry continues its efforts at partnering with both domestic and international sporting agencies at the Federal Government level, with focus coming not only in letters but also in spirit.
Dare expatiated: “Asoama represents the model we really want where youngsters can combine educational advancement side by side with sports development. In the spirit of this, the Ministry deemed it wise to partner with the Bayelsa State Government with regards to the Asoama Sports Academy and to as much as possible make it one of our resource centres. I think that will go a long way to accelerate and deepen sports development in this country.”
In his response, Bayelsa State’s outgoing governor, Seriake Dickson expressed confidence that the MoU will bring about an improved, better developed sports academy, while also expressing appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing Dare as sports minister, as he noted that the new man in charge has brought a turnaround in sports development.
