The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria(SPDC) has inaugurated the Youth Sports Athletes Development Project, one of Shell’s key projects to mark Nigeria’s 100 year anniversary
Shell’s General Manager, External Relations, Mr. Igo Weli who spoke on the occasion said the project was conceived on the principle that students can develop their athletic talents and still place equal, if not higher premium on their academic development
He said the project scope covers the development of an athletic curriculum by Africare, an international Non-Governmental Organization(NGO) using the American National Collegiate Athletic Association standards, the construction and marking of standard field event facilities for long/triple jump, high jump, shot put, javelin, discus and hammer throw in the five selected schools as well as the construction of a 400m six-lane rubberized track at Government College, Ughelli. The cost of the project was estimated at about N600 million
According to him, an important component of the project was the inclusion of 283 athletic and leadership training sessions, academic performance tracking and mentoring. He said a total of 150 students from across the five project schools benefitted from the leadership programme.
Mr. Weli said the Youth Sports and Athletics Development Project was part of SPDC’s long history of supporting age-grade sports and education in Nigeria including the NNPC Shell Cup which received support from the SPDC Joint Venture
He noted that many alumni of that championship gone on to represent Nigeria while the tournament itself has become footfall talent hunting ground for Nigeria’s age-grade football competitions
“The survival and expansion of the many social investment projects and programmes of Shell in Nigeria is dependent on sustained uninterrupted production. It is time we told ourselves the hard truth that the roundtable remains the best place to have difficult discussions. We have all seen the result of applying the hard method and it has not been mutually beneficial. It is time to change tact. We must speak up against the theft of crude oil, vandalism and the attendant damage of our environment” he said
In a remark, Delta State governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, who was represented by Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Barr.Chiedu Ebie commended SPDC for providing the facility to increase the capacity of students to develop their sport talents adding that school sports had always been a breeding ground to discover talents
In a speech, Government College, Ughelli Principal, Evang O.G Odenema while commending SPDC, the state government and the old boys association promised that the staff and students of the school were ready to jealously take care of the rubberized tracks and the training materials and equipment donated to SPDC
