By Okechukwu Onuegbu
Anambra State government, Thursday, said it was embarking on a mandatory data capturing for sports instructors, officers and administrators in a bid to sanitise the sector across all the nooks and crannies.
The State Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports, Hon. Mr. Patrick Agha Mba, who revealed this at press conference held in Awka, notedd that the exercise would hold concurrently across 21 Local Government Headquarters from September 29-30, 2026.
According to him, the data programme which is part of Governor Chukwuma Soludo's efforts to reposition the sports sector, added that only those who participated in the exercise would be eligible to enjoy government partnerships.
He said, "It is for this reason that the Ministry has constituted a Committee to sanitise, structure and strengthen sports development at the base. Our checks have shown that many individuals parading as Sports Instructors, Sports Officers and Administrators in schools, academies, clubs and communities across the state are operating without any formal registration with the Ministry, without standardized knowledge of modern fundamentals of sports, sports safety, first aid, talent management and sports ethics.
"The Ministry will commence the mandatory registration and data capture of all Sports Instructors, Sports Officers and Sports Administrators in Anambra State. This database will help us to plan, support and engage you for state and national programmes. With effect from Monday 28th September 2026, the Forms for the registration will be available for collection at the Ministry of Education, ASUBEB, PPSSC, Sports Associations, Managers of the various state owned Stadiums and Ministry of Youth Development and Sports Desk Officers in all the Local Government Areas across the state. Collect, Fill and Submit at the same point."
He added that after the data capturing all the registered personnel would undergo a comprehensive retraining workshop on general fundamentals of Sports - including sports administration, coaching principles, safety, anti-doping and safeguarding, as well as specialized technical sessions in accordance with their various sports inclinations.
"At the end of this workshop, every participant will be duly certified by the Anambra State Ministry of Youth Development and Sports. Going forward, this certificate will be a basic requirement for anyone who wishes to practice as a sports instructor or administrator in any public institution or any sports facility in the State.
"To ensure no one is left behind, this workshop will be held at Zonal levels: Anambra Central Senatorial Zone - Awka, Anambra North Senatorial Zone - Onitsha North and Anambra South Senatorial Zone - Aguata. We're going to make sure that after every exercise that only certified personnel are allowed to train our young people. The safety and future of our young people are paramount.
"I therefore call on all sports instructors, whether in primary schools, secondary schools, private academies, fitness centres, community clubs and local governments, to take advantage of this window to get registered. For the Solution Agenda to succeed in sports, we must get it right at the grassroots. Let's ensure that we comply accordingly," he further submitted.