1st South-East Shooting Championship kickoffs in Umuahia

The first edition of the South-East Shooting Championship has been declared open in Umuahia by Governor Alex Otti.

Speaking at the event at Umuahia Township Stadium, Otti described shooting as a strategic sport for talent discovery and youth empowerment.

The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Mr Nwaobilor Ananaba,
explained that the competition was part of efforts to expand sports development beyond conventional disciplines.

He noted that shooting was a recognised Olympic sport with a strong potential to produce national and international champions when properly harnessed at the grassroots.

He pointed out that his administration was committed to supporting emerging sports that could provide new opportunities for young people and raise Abia’s profile in national competitions

“Shooting is a globally recognised Olympic sport and when we came on board, I promised to develop sports beyond the conventional ones,” Otti said.

“Today, alongside boxing, football and basketball, shooting has been introduced and promoting sports such as shooting will empower our youth and enhance our chances of winning medals”.

He commended the Shooting Association of Abia State for organising the South-East competition and assured the association of continued government support.

He expressed optimism that Abia would soon produce shooters capable of representing Nigeria at major international competitions, including the Olympic Games.

Otti added that the government’s long-term plan was to catch talents young and develop them through structured competitions and training programmes.

“Our strategy is to catch them young through community-based competitions and nurture them.

“We already have a growing pool of athletes capable of competing at state, national and international levels and we are confident that Abia will produce future Olympic champions,” he said.

The President of the Nigeria Shooting Federation (NSF), Comdre Mohammed Shettima, commended Abia Government for its strides in sports development.

Shettima, represented by Lt.-Cmdr. Peter Ogbe, said that Abia was selected to host the federation’s first shooting competition in the South-East due to its achievements in sports administration.

Also, the South-East Coordinator of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bernard Ezemma, emphasised the importance of grassroots sports development, adding that strong foundations produce athletes who can progress to national federations.

In his speech, the Abia Director of Sports, Mr George Obioma, expressed the state government’s committed to developing all sports, not just football, to give youths more opportunities.

“Abia is leading in many national events. Shooting is an Olympic sport, and our athletes have already won medals at the National Youth Games, because our motto is ‘I win and I can’,” he said.

George thanked the National Sports Commission, state officials, and partners for supporting sports development in Abia, noting that the state remains the only one with two premier league football clubs.

Earlier, the NSC South East Zonal Representive(Shooting), Mrs Paschaline Edozie, commended the state government for providing the resources and support needed to ensure shooting thrives in Abia.

She noted that each shooting range in the competition represents an investment of N10 to N15 million, while pellets, costing up to N60,000 each, were generously provided for the event.

Edozie said that the event brought together athletes from Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, and Imo states and acknowledged the support of the Abia Sports Council and media personnel covering the competition.

The exercise which featured seminar that held from January 25-27 and the shooting competition is set to hold January 28-30.

The competition features two categories: Under-15 (male and female) and Senior (male and female), with participants registered from the five South East states—Abia, Enugu, Imo, Anambra, and Ebonyi.

A total of 45 participants representing the states and 105 individual entries, bringing the total number of competitors to 150.l are expected to compete during the championship.