By Muhyideen Jimoh

The Minister of Sports Development, Sen. John Owan Enoh has charged heads of departments in the Ministry to come up with strategic plan to harness and nurture talents discovered at the National Youth Games.

Enoh stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at an interactive meeting with senior officials of the ministry.

He said the plan should be able to keep talented athletes under the radar of the ministry,  and also define a clear path for them to climb to the top of their  chosen sports.

The minister said there was a  need to sustain the interest of these talented athletes in their various sports.

He said they could easily lose interest if no plan was  put in place to harness their talents.

The minister  said the ministry was more concerned about nurturing  discovered talents,  rather than the emphasis on medal haul at the Games.

“It is important to show Nigerians the growth trajectory of these talented athletes before the next National Youth Games.

“If we are able to show what we have been able to do with discovered talents before the next National Youths Games, it will inspire confidence and buy-in by Nigerians and relevant stakeholders,” he said.

Enoh maintained that under his leadership, failure to take decisive action on this issue is not an option.

He warned that if the ministry fails  to come up with  implementable plans on the way forward, the nation will suffer for it.

Earlier,  the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ismaila Abubaker said that the meeting was meant to evaluate the

performance at the Games and suggest areas of improvement.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Joseph Edeh