THERE was the luminous smile as she walked into the embrace of Governor Godswill Akpobio to pick her scholarship grant and medals after beating all contenders at the end of the Akwa Ibom/NNPC/ Mobil Schools Athletics Championships in Eket.Enobong Aniefiok Okon (then 15years old), had emerged the star athlete of the championship after picking four gold medals in 100metres and 200 metres, discuss and long jump events. That was four years ago when she was a student of Etinan Secondary School.Like Okon, dozens of other students have benefited from the Mobil Schools Athletics Championships programme, an annual event designed to identify talented athletes from secondary schools and help them maximize their potential.For years, some past Nigerian sports heroes have stressed the need for the revival of school sports to give a fresh breath to the nation's sports. To them, the dwindling fortunes of the nation's sports is a consequence of the neglect of and lip service paid to school sports across the nation.And for 11 years, the NNPC/MPNU joint venture has taken the challenge as part of its sustainable development to its host communities. Through the Mobil Schools Athletics Championships, the body has brought a turnaround into the nation's sports, particularly, the track and field events.Apart from cash rewards to outstanding athletes, the championship has laid what could been described as a 'life foundation' for many students through the one-off-cash scholarship award for top three athletes in each event at the grand finale in Eket.Three years ago, former national athletics captain, Yusuf Ali, identified two athletes, Ifiok Andrew Umoh and Enobong James Inyang. He brought them to Lagos, where they sharpened their skills, and in less than two years after, the duo represented Nigeria at the World junior Athletics championship in Italy.The joint venture sees the host communities as part and parcel of its operation, hence the introduction of the Mobil School Athletics Championship initiative 11 years ago. Apart from the immediate gain to the students, the symbiotic relationship has fostered a better understanding of the needs and wants of the host communities.The Akwa Ibom State/NNPC/MPN secondary schools athletics championship started in 2001 during the administration of Engineer Adeyemi Wilson as president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN). He was the General Manager, External Affairs of Mobil at that time.The AFN boss was approached by veteran journalist, Paul Bassey, with a grassroots proposal aimed at 'catching them' young, which Mobil quickly approved.This year's edition of the championship, the 12th in the series, will be held later in the year.Former African queen of the track, Mary Onyali Omagbemi, could not hide her feelings after watching the last edition of the championship: 'We must give credit to Mobil for coming to the rescue of athletics in Nigeria. This competition has been going on uninterrupted for 11 years and I say 'thank you' to them.'We need more companies to follow the footsteps of Mobil in this rescue for athletics. Our school sports have been neglected for so long and that is why we are finding it difficult to get capable replacement for those who had retired from the field. I am happy for the effort Mobil has made over the years through this School Athletics Championship. I am sure the athletes would make good use of the opportunity,' Onyali stated.The championship right from inception in 2001 has witnessed a high level of organizational savvy that has seen the physical presence of six Sports Ministers and one Minister of Education among top state and national dignitaries.A major feature of the championship is the train-the-trainers workshop supervised by the AFN technical officials for games masters and games mistresses to update them on the basic rudiments of athletics. Competitions are usually held in 12 disciplines, namely the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m and the relays. The field events are shot put, high and long jump, Javelin and discuss.However, some keen followers of the programme are of the view that there are still some distances to cover. They believe the AFN, the umbrella body of athletics in the country and indeed the government of Akwa Ibom State are not doing enough to track the stars so discovered with a view of nurturing them for the future.The consultant to the championship, Paul Bassey, who agrees in part, shares this view in a chat with The Guardian during the week at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, on his way to Nairobi, Kenya, saying: 'True, we believe the AFN and the state government can do a bit more by adopting the stars so discovered with a view to coaching them to greatness.Bassey, a CAF media officer further said: 'Let me tell you one interesting story that happened some years ago. Yusuf Ali came to Eket to watch the final of the championship and at the end, identified two stars. He picked those two boys, put them in school, trained them and in less than two years, they were picked by the AFN to represent the country in a World Athletics competition outside the shores of Africa. As we speak, there are dozens of athletes waiting over there in Akwa Ibom.'But I must appreciate the effort of Mobil for the unflinching support I have received from them in the organization of the championship over the years. From Engineer Wilson to other Supervisory managers like Mr. Udom Inoyo and lately Mrs. Gloria Essien-Danner, it has been a story of religious belief and investment in the Nigerian youth, which to me, is one of the cardinal principles of Mobil,' Bassey added.The yearly championship usually begins with zonal eliminations in places like Etinan, Abak, Ibiono Ibom, Oron and Ikot Abasi, while the grand finale takes place in Eket.According to Bassey, arrangements are on to stage a befitting 12th edition of the competition this year. 'It is an annual thing the youths of Akwa Ibom enjoy because it is meant to lay a foundation for their future. They are the future stars of the country.'At the close of events last year in Eket, the National Sports Commission (NSC), said it would not augur well for the sport if athletes discovered are not developed for the future.The NSC, which was represented by the Deputy Director of Sports Federation and Elite Athletes Department, Alhassan Yakmut, said: 'There should be an athletics academy in Eket where products of the athletics championship can be further developed to stardom. If we have such an athletics academy in Eket, it would aid the growth of all the sports, especially at this time that the country is in dire need of potential stars.'Some other students discovered from the Mobil Athletics Championship includes Steven Anietie, a student of Alex Secondary Commercial School, Idua, who romped to three gold medals in discuss, shot put and long jump at the end of contest in Eket four years ago.There were also the duo of Itoro Christopher Etok and Joy Paul (both of Fulga International School), who dazzled in the long jump events with their spectacular leap in Ibiono Ibom Zone during the last edition of the competition.As the countdown begins ahead the 2012 edition of the Mobil School Athletics Championship, the Akwa Ibom State Director of Sports, Aniedi Dickson, said that after the milestone of 11 consecutive championships, Mobil should be commended for forging ahead with the grassroots programme that has helped the state over the years to discover budding talents.Dickson, who had been coordinating the championship with his colleague in the schools sports directorate,Said: 'I do not know what we could have done without Mobil. This competition is unique and the beauty of it all is its consistency.'He also said that efforts are being made to ensure that this year's competition, like the previous edition, is fraud-free, as schools principals will be directly involved in the screening of students that will be presented at the Eket final.'In the past, we discovered that some fraudulent games masters fielded athletes who had left school all in an effort to win ephemeral glory at times with the connivance of some Zonal Coordinators who are also interested in declaring their zone as winners...
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