Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The National Coach for the Female National Volleyball Team, Rakiyyah Mohammad, has described the ogoing Under-17 North West Zonal volleyball competition in Birnin Kebbi as an eye opener for both female and male teams.
Coach Mohammad, who stated this on Saturday while speaking with reporters at Birnin Kebbi’s Haliru Abdu Stadium, venue of the competition, said that the competion has united all religions and tribes in the zone .
The competition, organised by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, North West Zonal headquarters, comprises of beach volleyball in male and female categories. The competition kicked off on Friday, with the closing ceremony holding on Sunday, December 22.
Participant states at the tournament includes Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano and Kaduna states, all slugging it out in both beach and indoor volleyball.
Mohammad noted that she observed great zeal from the six participating teams, especially commending the female teams for their skill, energy and spirit of sportsmanship.
“I am happy [and] satisfied, especially with the performance of female teams,” she said. “This is an eye opener for all religions [and] tribes that they could come together as teams and play together. I will just appeal to private investors, individuals to support this game because government can not do it alone.”
The Acting Permanent Secretary, Kebbi State Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Ibrahim Ladan, lauded the organiser of the game, stressing that it would serve as an avenue to discover great players among the participating states.
The Zonal Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Development, Olusoke Luke, expressed satisfaction about the discipline displayed by the teams, coaches and the officials of the game.