Abang's sports bangs for Cross River

In a pre-election year as we are in now in the country, politicians become 'politricians' with so large-mouthed promises and larger than life assurances of better things to come, as soon as they get the people's mandate to stir the boat of their state's or nation's boat.

 

So many had come with as many promises that were not fulfilled.  But only last weekend in Lagos, nigeriasports.com Online Editor came in contact with one of the most probable candidates for the seat which the current Governor, Donald Duke will vacate in 2007 in the Governor's House of the Cross River State of Nigeria.

His name? Barrister Joe Oshie Abang.  And in our over three hours of non-official chat, the Governorship aspirant was able to state in our personal coinage:

 "So that it won't be the same again.  So that, promises would not be made and not fulfilled; so that, for the first time, there will come a man, who has the feelings of the villagers,the poor, all and sundry at heart; so that,..."

Having noted his campaign cornerstones and pillars of a slogan, which include "re-inventing of our value system in order to propel the economic potential of Cross River State," nigeriasports.com wanted to know the position of sports in his all-embracing cardinal points of operation and administration.

Here comes our Learned Gentleman, Barrister Joe Oshie Abang with a bang: "My programme as you may want to know, is all-embracing - it ranges from the expansion of existing business concerns in the state, to further reach out to other concerns in other parts of the federation, stabilising the existing socio-political structures in the state with a view to harnessing the needed development that will improve the standard of living of the average Crosss Riverain, to the transformation of rural communities, including existing old towns and inner city settlements amongst others," he offered.

We noticed during the long unofficial mind-rubbing session that, youth empowerment and employment generation, were recurrent pronouncements by the Cross River governorship mandate-seeking Barrister and we sought for explantions.  Here enters the eloquent Joe again:

"We have key targets which incorporate the industrialization of the state, human capital development and the re-engineering of agriculture in the state. We appreciate the fact that, every Cross Riverian cannot all get involved in these programmes. 

"There is the need to diversify into other spheres of human endeavours...especially those that, have to do with interracting with other states of the federation and even outside the country. 

"Such social-economic activities as sports, which do not only bring fame and fortune to the individual actor, but to the entire state and the nation in particular.

"We are quite aware of this and we take into cognizance, the capital-intensiveness of having to prop-up our youths to both national and international levels. 

" We want to state that, we are not alien to the hardship being faced by some of our youths, who have excelled in their respective sports disciplines for one reason or the other.  All these, we hope to bring to the past on assumption of office.

"When making promises, some people commit the mistake of generalizing.  What I mean here is that, some people make sweeping promises that, sports would be one of their priorities, without specifying which group and telling or showing the people how much into sports they are. 

 For us, things will have to change.  I personally love football...but I would not allow my love for football to overwhelm the performances of our people in other sports.

"Football is globally played and followed so are other sports.  If you may know, women empowerment and rural development, are some of our key targets.  And this translates to giving the women enough recognition, attention and participatory roles in the state's scheme of affairs. 

"This is why too, I would want to disclose to you now, that women football would flourish in my time if given the mandate to govern Cross River State next year," the fair-skinned learned gentleman submitted.

So that, it won't be one of the many boasts and promises meant to decieve the people and nothing happens after being elected into office. Abang would tell you once more -

 "so that it won't be so and so that, I will not be counted among such people, I have something in the offing in August that will run through September...this is a programme that is expected to stretch across the entire Cross River State and the echoes would be heard all over the nation and even beyond...just wait for it," the Barrister promised and added:

"I won't regret this whether I get the people's mandate or not at the end because the exercise would have spoken the only language the people understand now...honesty.

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