Acting VC, Prof. Umeobi Vows to Promote Female Football in UNIZIK

By Ikemefuna Asika.

The acting Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Carol Arinze -Umeobi has said that she is going to enhance the institution’s female football team with whatever that will make them better.

Prof. Umeobi stated this when she received members of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) who paid her a courtesy visit in her office.

She stated that she loves sports and went down memory lane to her competing days in sports with bias for discuss and shotput at the national sports festival in Kaduna in 1977 (Kaduna “77)

” I competed in the women event because of the categorization then. As God will have it, I broke the national record in discuss with a throw of 41.18m then, it was very difficult for persons to achieve that feat”.

She commended the SWAN members for the way they have been carrying out their work.

She recalled that it was the report of one Aniete Ekong about her exploit in Kaduna 77 that helped her much.

“I remember one Aniete Ekong from Cross River State , he was the person now in your situation that covered my sporting days in Kaduna 77.

Aniete Ekong painstakingly took a chronicle of this thing, published it in one full newspaper center page and I know the benefits I received because of that singler publication.

” That I travelled to America for so many events on invitations , just exhibition of that singular publication, sporting scholarship and all that, that I went to Australia, infact, I travelled all over the world was because of that chronicle by Aniete Ekong.

” I don’t know where he is now, I want you people to help locate him for me because whatever I think I am today, he contributed to it” She stated.

She commended SWAN for the visit noting that It is good to establish the importance of sports in people’s lives and because of the sports reportage that people can connect the past, the present and the future.

Earlier the SWAN Chairman, Anambra State Chapter, Chimezie Patrick Anasor informed the Acting VC that the visit was to congratulate her on her appointment as the first female to occupy the position in the University though in acting capacity.

“We are delighted to be here to congratulate you on your appointment as Vice Chancellor of this great university and more historically, the first female to be so appointed” he said.

He informed the VC that SWAN sees her appointment as special to the body of the sporting press in Anambra State because of her antecedent as a sports personality.

“We believe that your stint as the VC Unizik even though in acting capacity will be an ample opportunity to develop or deepen the master plan if it existed, that will lay the foundation for pathway to making Unizik the sports hub at the tertiary education level in Southeast.

“Prof, Umeobi, in addition to being an academic Amazon, you are also a sports personality, we will be excited that you consider this humble charge as part of your footprints in this university” he stated.

He extended extending our hands of partnership to Unizik in the promotion of sports in the university as well as active symbiotic relationship.

SWAN Chairman was accompanied by Ikemefuna Asika ( SWAN VP South East), Uche Ndeke (Asst. Sec), Marvelous Ezenwa ( Treasurer) and Chukwuka Ujokwe .