By Najib Sani
The Bauchi State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has reiterated its determination to continue identifying hidden talents that can represent the state at all sporting events, without engaging athletes from other states of the federation.
The overseeing Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim, stated this while addressing sports journalists on the ongoing forth edition of the Bauchi state sports festival.
Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim said, the era of hiring and engaging athletes from other states to represent Bauchi at zonal, national and international events is now over, hence the need to support the ministry to achieve the target.
The overseeing Permanent Secretary explained that the state government had agreed to upgrade old sporting facilities and construct new ones across the 20 local government areas in the first quarter of 2026.
He added that the ministry would give more priority to camping of athletes, at least two weeks before departing for zonal and national events.
On the ongoing forth edition of the Bauchi state sports festival, Abdullahi Ibrahim said, a seminar was earlier held that includes 20 local governments sports officers, former directors of sports, coaches, secretaries, technocrats and other sports stakeholders in order to have a successful event.
According to him, so far, athletes from various local governments areas have won a total of 165 medals that cut across different sporting events both in male and females categories.
As the competition closer to an end, about seven sporting events to includes volleyball, Handball, Table Tennis, Athletics, Kokawa, Dambe among others have been concluded.
The fourth edition of the Bauchi state sports festival scheduled for closing on Saturday, 20th December, 2025.
