Brownhill Foundation constructs Volleyball, Handball courts in Delta State

Sports as a component of educational attainment was highlighted recently in Warri, Delta State following the construction and commissioning of a volleyball and handball courts donated to the Hussey College her alumnus.

It was glitz and glamour, excitement and camaraderie as the Olu of Warri, His Royal Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse 111, led a pack of eminent personalities to the official commissioning of ultramodern Volleyball and Handball courts donated to Hussey College, Warri by Brownhill Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation in Delta State.

The Foundation is the brainchild of an old student of the school, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick, the immediate past two-tenure President of the Nigeria Football Federation and a serving member of the FIFA Council.

Heralding the arrival of the Olu of Warri at the ceremony were traditional dances, in an atmosphere of pomp and pageantry, with the aroma of royalty radiating at the proceedings of the day.

The commissioning ceremony was a gathering of the “who-is-who” in the academia, politics, business and government. The national anthem, that of the Itsekiri ethnic extraction and Hussey College, as rendered, brought back nostalgic feelings of our existence as a people bound with one destiny.

The National President of Hussey college Old Students Association, Elder Emmanuel Ogidi, in his speech, said he is challenged by this donation of sports infrastructure by Brownhill Foundation, with Amaju Melvin Pinnick as founder.

Elder Ogidi, who is also the National Vice Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP said further “Even when some of us have influenced projects to Hussey College, Warri in times past by virtue of the positions we have occupied in Government, none of us have done anything in our individual capacities as Amaju Pinnick is doing “.

The Olu of Warri, in his brief remarks, stunned the august audience, by going down memory lane to reveal that his biological father, a late Olu of Warri was an alumnus of Hussey college, who wanted him to attend the college, but which was not to be, by a twist of fate.

While commending Mr Pinnick and his Brownhill Foundation Group for giving back to the society, the highly reverred monarch called on other alumni of the school to emulate the kind gesture.

The monarch believed that there are other old students of Hussey College out there, who might be wealthier than Pinnick, but in his words:”this young man has just decided to etch his name in gold and in the sands of time.”

UNIUYO Physical & Health Education students hold sports dance festival

The campus town of University of Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, was agog with excitement, as third year students of the Department of Physical and Health Education, exhibited their dancing skills, as part of the practical aspect of third year course: “Traditional Dances and Sports in Nigeria.” The course is made up of two parts (theory and practical). Examinations are conducted both for theory and practical, though the practical aspect of the course, carries more mark.

The event which was held on 11th April 2023 had over five hundred spectators in attendance from within and outside the university community. Among whom were Professor Etefia Ekanem (the Dean of students affairs), Professor Imaobong Akpan (the Dean of Faculty of Education), Professor Ini Jona (the Chairman Senate Business Committee).

The 47 third year students who were divided into nine groups thrilled the spectators to different traditional dances from different parts of Nigeria. These include:

Ekõmbi and Abang dance (Efik),

Atilogwu (Igbo), Abre dance (Annang and Ibibio), Bata dance (Yoruba), Mõninkem (Ejagham), Uta dance (Annang and Ibibio), Asian uboikpa dance (Ibibio), Swanghe dance (Tiv), Oghene dance (Igbo), Fulani milk maids dance Fulani).

The costumes of the students, dance steps and instruments reflected the dance of the community or ethnic group they fall into. The course lecturer. Dr Grace Ataha introduced the course and started the dance demonstration with a display of dance steps from different Nigerian tribes. This was them followed by the students who had five minutes to display their dance skills with a view of wowing the judges, who were drawn from other Departments of the university.

Dr Grace Ataha stated at the end of this successful event that given the diversity of the sports and entertainment industries in Nigeria, students of this course would be equipped with the knowledge, skills and practical experience of the relevance of dance as part of sport exercise, choreography, events organizing, as well as the relevance of singing and dancing in motivating athletes during sports events.

Dr Ataha who is a Netball Africa certified instructor. and a sport for change activist is of the view that dancing is an empowering tool that could help women to reduce their level of stress. Finally, Dr Ataha stated that she hopes that in future, some of her students would positively contribute their own quota to the repertoire of modern dance steps that have made the Afrobeat musical videos by Nigerian artists big hits in the international music scene.