Grassroots First: Taraba Trains Games Masters to Rebuild School Sports
By Hilary JohnÂ
The Taraba State Sports Development Commission has organized a two-day capacity-building seminar for games masters from primary and secondary schools across the state in a renewed push to strengthen sports development from the grassroots.
Declaring the seminar open, the Chairman of the Commission, Coach Bulus Hussaini, said the initiative reflects his firm belief that lasting sports development must begin at the school level.
He urged participants to pay close attention to the sessions and actively engage by asking questions.
Coach Bulus Hussaini
“I was discovered through primary school sports,” Hussaini said. “If we truly want to develop sports in Taraba State, we must start from the grassroots. That is why this seminar is starting with you the games masters.”
Speaking to journalists on the sustainability of the commission, Hussaini explained that the passage of the Sports Development Commission into law guarantees continuity, regardless of changes in government.
According to him, this legal backing ensures that sports development policies and programs will be sustained beyond the current administration.
One of the participants, Chairman of the Games Masters Forum, Jalingo Education Zone, Aloysius Pius, commended Governor Agbu Kefas and the commission’s leadership for engaging directly with games masters.
He expressed optimism that the seminar would bring visible improvement to school sports.
“After this seminar, Taraba State will see a difference,” Pius said. “We will improve ourselves, develop the students, and begin to get the results we truly expect from school sports.”
He also raised concerns about the poor state of sports facilities in some schools, calling on the government to intervene. Pius noted that with the commission now in place, gaps in facilities would be properly documented and communicated to the governor for necessary action.
Also speaking, a member of the commission, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Moyoyo, described the Sports Development Commission as a pioneer initiative in Taraba State.
Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Moyoyo
He disclosed that the commission has adopted a structured calendar of monthly activities to keep its mandate active throughout the year.
“This seminar is the second activity this month, following the inauguration of various association chairmen,” Moyoyo said. “These monthly programs will keep the commission focused and productive.”
During the seminar, experts presented papers on topics including grassroots sports development through games masters, the impact of the games master–child athlete relationship, coaching and officiating techniques, and emergency response during sporting activities.
The seminar aims to equip games masters with practical skills in organizing, supervising, mentoring, talent scouting, and promoting sports in schools.
The program is expected to run for two days.
