By Ogalla Daniel
Okehi Local Government Area has emerged champions of the inaugural Dam Foundation Inter Local Government 3X3 championship.
The one-day event was held at the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) basketball court, Adankolo.
The maiden edition of the championship featured no fewer than twelve Local Governments competing for honours in Lokoja. The competition also included other side attractions and events that attracted basketball enthusiasts from across the state capital and beyond.
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Although twelve local government areas indicated interest in the championship, the number dropped to eight when the championship commenced.
The initial list had Okene, Okehi, Lokoja,Adavi, Ajaokuta, Idah, Ogori/Magongo, Dekina, Kabba, Kogi, Ankpa and Olamaboro.
Team Okehi proved too strong for the rest of the field to emerge as winners of the one day event.Lokoja came second while Ajaokuta placed third.
Each team took part in the round robin matches of the competition and when eventually the boys were separated from the men after the phase, Okehi lifted the trophy.
Beside lifting the trophy, Okehi went home with a cash price of N100,000, Lokoja N50,000 and Ajaokuta N30,000
Meanwhile, the Dam Foundation is the brainchild of Kogi Basketball Association Chairman , Dr Abdullahi Mustapha, who doubles as the Director General, Energy Commission of Nigeria.
The initiative is aimed at identifying and nurturing young sporting talents, just as the foundation is also using the championship to draw attention to the decline in sports facilities in the state particularly Lokoja the capital and it’s environs.
The poor state of facilities, coupled with a lack of grassroots competitions, has made it difficult to discover and nurture young talent, resulting in a significant decline in the state and Nation’s overall sporting potential.
More worrisome is the inadequate local council involvement in the promotion of sports as well as a general lack of investment from key stakeholders, corporate organizations and privileged individuals.
This has hindered Nigeria’s ability to host events and nurture athletes.
