By Eric Ojo
Community Sport and Educational Development (CSED) Initiative and the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) in partnership with the Cross River State Ministry of Education and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Ogoja Zonal Office, has trained 18 Physical Education (P.E,) Teachers in Cross River State.
The two-day training which was held at the premises of St. Catherine College, Igoli, Ogoja, is aimed at taking the game of badminton to hard-to-each and underserved members of the community.
The badminton outreach training for P.E. teachers drawn from 16 secondary schools across the state, was powered by CSED Initiative, as part of their two years’ grassroots badminton development agreement with the BFN.
The BFN which is one of the most active sporting Federation that promotes grassroots sports development in Nigeria, decided to organise this particular event in order to use sport in promoting community integration and peaceful co-existence between the Cameroonian refugees in Adagom, and members of the Ogoja community
Notably, the 18 P.E. teachers were joined by 52 secondary school students, as well as nineteen students/volunteer trainees from the Cameroonian refugees’ community that reside in Ogoja Local Government Area. (LGA).
The attendees at the training were taught the basics and practical aspect of the game of badminton by Godswill Ifejika, a trained “Shuttle Time” instructor, and a Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) accredited umpire. Moreover, he was supported by Nwachukwu Igwe and Obianuju Eneh.
At the end of the event, basic badminton training equipment (rackets, shuttlecocks and nets) were freely distributed to the representatives of the secondary schools, as well as representative of the three Cameroonian refugee camps that are located in Ogoja LGA.
A representative of the Cross River State Ministry of Education, Mr Francis Odey urged the P.E. teachers, the students and members of the Cameroonian community to strive to put into good use the training that they have received from the BFN trainers.
Similarly, a representative of the Cameroonian community in Ogoja, Ako Allan Agbor, thanked the event organisers, noting that taking part in sport helps to alleviate the trauma of the refugees and it will provide them with the opportunity to take part in an organised pro-social activity like badminton.
Agbor also expressed the yearnings of the other attendees for government agencies and Non-Governmental Orgainisations (NGOs) to take capacity building programmes to marginalised groups and residents of rural areas in Nigeria.