-As Prince Ubong Idiong
moves to build Sports Academy
One of the characteristics
of a transformational leader is the ability to see the future from the present
by harnessing the available human potentials in preparation for the future.
Orukanam Local Government chairman, Prince Ubong Idiong is one of the few
eggheads in charge of our Local Government councils. Apart from being an
effective intermediary between his people and government of the day, Prince
Ubong Bernard Idiong has successfully interpreted and replicated the vision of
Governor Udom Emmanuel to his people. One of such areas is sports development
which has manifested in the consistent winning of medals in the Akwa Ibom Youth
Sports festival.
Since the commencement
of the first Akwa Ibom Youth Sports Festival in 2017, budding athletes have
displayed impressive performances in their respective events to inspire hope of
what Nigeria could achieve on the global scene if things go as they ought to.
The 31 Local Government
Areas (LGAs) of Akwa Ibom State had representatives in some of the Athletics
event staged at the Championships, and each seemed to be in battle of who could
cheer louder than the other whenever any of their athletes competed.
It can be recalled
during the first Sports festival, the Governor had declared; “We wont wait for
anybody as we want to make sure that this state produce future champions and I
only want people to give us 7 years for us to be ready to take on any
competition.” In view of this, Prince Ubong Idiong, as a Transition Chairman
then, quickly keyed into the vision by preparing both the pupils and students of
the area for the seven years timeframe. The sports loving chairman, had, while
the athletes were in the camp, provided the necessary motivation and support
for them to succeed. When other chairmen left their subjects to attend to other
issues, Ubong Idiong, as a father, ensured everything went well. The resultant
effect of this was clinching of first position by Orukanam contingents with 79
gold medals, 50 silver medals, 26 bronze medals, a total of 155 medals at the
2017 edition of the Akwa Ibom State Sports Festival.
After the first
successful outing which he led his people to victory, Prince Ubong Idiong did
not rest, rather he immediately started preparations for 2018 edition of the
State Youth Sports Festival by assembling best talents in all Secondary and
Primary schools in Orukanam for this year’s competition which the local
government emerged overall best with 72 gold medals,27 silver medals, 20 bronze
medals, a total of 119 medals.
To further complement
Governor Udom Emmanuel’s vision, Prince Ubong Idiong is set to build a Sports
Academy in Orukanam Local Government Area. According to the council chairman,
the essence of this Academy, which will be first in the history of Local
Government administration in the country, is to nurture talents from Orukanam
LGA discovered during the Youth Sports Festival. As Governor Udom Emmanuel
hopes to turn in athletes for international competition seven years from now,
this is one academy that will supply such talents. This dream is a part
fulfilment of Prince Ubong Idiong’s campaign promises during his electioneering
when he stated in his manifesto that he has a good frame-work to harness
the enormous youth energy that abound in Orukanam through sports. While
Governor Udom Emmanuel is trying to make Akwa Ibom State a destination for
sports, Prince Ubong Idiong is moving to make Orukanam a citadel of sports.
Prince Ubong’s vision to build Sports Academy is a long term investment that
will not only project the local government to the global stage but will serve
as a strong revenue source to the local government. The Academy will train
pupils and students in all kinds of sports with trainers employ to achieve
this.
The benefits of Prince
Ubong Idiong Sports Academy cannot be over emphasized. Apart from selling
outstanding talents to interested clubs and organizations thereby generating
revenue to the council, it will also expose our children to modern sports
facilities that enable them prepare for any international challenge. It will as
well keep our youth away from crime and other negative ventures in the society.
Since the Academy is
meant for teenagers, the clearest benefits of sports Academy of this nature can
be seen in the overall physical health of teenagers. Over the past 20 years,
many studies have looked at the correlation between the rising rates of obesity
and the declining funding for physical activity, whether in a gym class or
after-school sports, in high schools. Young people generally get less physical
activity the older they get, but if they stay involved in sports programs,
they’re more likely to reap the physical benefits they otherwise would not
receive. This certainly helps alleviate one of the factors that can lead to
obesity.
Since the Sports
Academy will be meant for both boys and girls, research shows that girls tend
to see the greater social benefits of competing in team sports. The physical
activity combined with the camaraderie and purpose lead to a winning
combination for girls. “Girls who compete in sports get better grades, graduate
at higher rates and have more confidence. The vast majority avoid unplanned
pregnancies, drugs, obesity, depression and suicide.”
Study marked a
number of positive social benefits of physical activity Academy of this nature
can provide, including less risky sexual behavior and fewer tendencies to smoke
cigarettes or use marijuana or other illegal drugs.
The social benefits can
also lead to academic benefits. Physical activity is shown to lead to better
academic performance, and when a team is performing better, on the court and in
the classroom, it adds an incentive for the individual players to do better.
Participating on a team or as an individual can also help young people improve
problem-solving skills, which translate to better academic performance.
The emotional benefits
of this Academy will include, enhanced school connectedness, social support and
bonding among friends and teammates for females, and may have greater value
compared to regular exercise.
With this, one can
conclude that Prince Ubong Idiong is a man of vision imbued with innate
commitment to serve and secure the future of his people.
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