The Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, has said that by building the Real Madrid Football Academy in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has laid a standard for football development for others to emulate.
He said the academy was a worthy and long-term investment in human and capital development that would soon be the new oil well of Rivers State and huge revenue earner for the country and many families.
The minister, who inaugurated the academy in Port Harcourt, yesterday, declared that the academy would change the age-long wrong perception and narrative about Rivers State and Nigeria, as it produces future stars for the country, and also for one of the best teams in the world, Real Madrid Football Club.
“Our hope is that the Rivers Academy would produce renowned super stars that will toe the paths of the aforementioned legends. Hence, today’s event is a milestone for the actualization of a new era. The Real Madrid Football Academy, Port Harcourt, which was founded in 2019 after Rivers State was given the Franchise to operate by the Real Madrid Foundation, has been completed in a record time with the main objective to promote the values in football as a profession.
“The Real Madrid Football Academy, Port Harcourt, is an educational tool capable of contributing to the comprehensive development of personality of our youths by creating jobs and wealth. The academy divides its activities into sports, educational and cultural. This is in sync with our philosophy of combining education and sports. The speed at which this project was completed must make other countries grind with envy.”
The minister noted that Nigeria was blessed with abundance of talents in football, and has consistently been an exporter of footballers across the globe.
He said that Governor Nyesom Wike has offered another opportunity to export Nigerian talents.
Dare commended Wike for his vision and commitment to build the academy, which is in consonance with the Federal Government’s grassroots development programmes.
“This academy would not only produce golden boys and girls, but bring prosperity and honour to our great country. What you have envisioned is, indeed, awesome and monumental. This academy is simply fantastic and a monumental achievement that would inspire new generation of talents.
“The facilities are not just world-class, but an architectural beauty that would bring out the best in the students. The vision of combining sports with academics resonates with the dictum: ‘Sports and education are inseparable, and a cine qua non to the future of our youths and country.
