House of Assembly wades into CRSSC, Ministry crisis

The cold war between the Cross River State Sports Commission (CRSSC) and Ministry of Youths and Sports Development has taken a new dimension following the call by the Commissioner for Youths and Sports Mr Okang Asu for the scrapping of commission.
The Chairman of the Sports Commission, Hon Orok Duke, rather said that it was in the interest of sports development that the commission was created.
The matter was dragged to the state House of Assembly by the Chairman, Cross River State House of Assembly and Special Committee on Sports and Youths Development Hon Ogbor Ogbor Udop. Udop said it is the responsibility of the House of Assembly to wade into the existing crisis between the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development and Cross River State Sports Commission.
At the Public Hearing on the proposed amendment of the Cross River State Sports Commission law 2001 held at the Cross River State House of Assembly following a motion earlier moved by Udop at the plenary session, he stated that the public hearing was part of the process towards amending the existing principal law with a view to strengthening it and that it will create a synergy between the Sports Commission and the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development as is contained in section 2 sub 2 of the law.
Contributing, the Commissioner for Sports, Mr Okang Asu, called for either an established line of communication between the Sports Commission and the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development or a merger of both.
Asu recommended that in alternative, the Sports Commission should be scrapped or made to report to the Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, but the Chairman of the Sports Commission, Chief Orok Otu Duke, a former Deputy Speaker in the Cross River State House of Assembly, said that it was in the interest of sports development that the commission was created in the first place and that the present challenge faced by the Commission is systemic and would be corrected and therefore ruled against the idea of scrapping the commission.
Chief Duke opined that the commission chairman and members should be empowered to serve as fulltime members and be given executive status reporting directly to the State Governor.
The Cross River State Head of Service Bar Ekpeyong Henshaw and the pioneer chairman of the sports commission, Mr Morris Inok, made similar remarks on the need for the Sports Commission and Ministry of Youths and Sports Development to work harmoniously to improve sports in the state.

Eaglets face Diamond Academy in test game

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets will take on Diamond Academy of Umuahia today in a warm-up game ahead of a crucial U-17 AFCON qualifier return leg match against Niger.
The Eaglets narrowly won the first leg in Abuja 1-0 and face a daunting task in the second leg in Niamey on August 20.
Diamond Academy are the source for Arsenal new signing Kelechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze, who is bound for FC Porto.
They have three players on the first-team squad of the current Eaglets.
The Eaglets will train for a week in Sokoto, which has the same weather with Niamey, before they depart for Niger.