By Sanee Yarima
The Taraba State Director of the Sports Council, George Haruna Shitta, has described the performance of its athletes at the ongoing National Sports Festival in Ogun State as impressive and commendable.
Shitta made this statement while answering questions from sports journalists at the MKO Stadium in Abeokuta on Wednesday, May 27, 2025.
He noted that so far, the state had won two medals in the male category of Badminton and a Bronze medal in Kickboxing, with expectations for more medals in remaining events, such as traditional wrestling, athletics, and boxing.
“We are set to compete in the finals of the female boxing category against the host state, Ogun, tomorrow, Thursday, May 28. We performed well in most events, despite not securing many medals,” he expressed optimistically.
Shitta explained that Taraba has made a positive impression, as many of the teams reached the quarter-finals before being eliminated, and he promised improvements moving forward.
He emphasized that Taraba athletes are being well taken care of, with centralized three meals provided daily and consistent transportation from their hostels to the venues.
“They are young athletes, and that is why we did not pay them their complete allowances. The money could distract them from focusing on their games; it’s not because anyone misappropriated funds or intended to do so,” Shitta clarified.
Additionally, the Director of Sports commended the efforts, resilience, and commitment of both the athletes and their coaches, as well as other officials for the successes achieved so far.
He also expressed gratitude to Governor Agbu Kefas for creating a supportive environment for young people participating in national events to showcase their talents.
He reiterated that even with a limited number of medals, the performance was commendable.
George Shitta emphasized the need to discourage unruly behaviour exhibited by some fans during matches, as witnessed at various venues.
“A better team should be allowed to win without influence from anyone, including officiating officials or fans. For example, we observed an incident where a bottle of water was thrown onto the pitch when one team was losing, which disrupted the game.
“On Monday, May 26, I attended the AGM of the Nigeria Boxing Federation, where we stressed the importance of addressing such challenges,” Shitta revealed.
He commended the standard of the 2024 National Sports Festival and called for improvements in future events.
He urged that the National Sports Commission ensure that the next hosting state is at least 80% ready to avoid shifting the date for the festival, noting that even upon arrival, some construction was still ongoing at the venue of the current festival in Ogun State.
Furthermore, George Shitta mentioned that some players were imported from abroad, such as Bayelsa State, which has an Italian Table Tennis Coach, Luciano Esposito, which he described as a great development for Nigeria.
The recruitment of this coach by the Bayelsa State Government as observed by SAHEL REPORTERS, was part of a broader initiative aimed at making a strong impression at the National Sports Festival in Ogun State.
