‘Traditional Wrestling, Vital Tool For Curbing Youth Restiveness – Gospel
By Amgbare Ekaunkumo, Yenagao, Trek Africa Newspaper
A Sports Enthusiast and businessman, Engr.Gospel Obolo, has said that engaging youths in sporting activities like traditional wrestling will go a long way in curbing youth restiveness and other social vices in the Niger Delta.
Engr. Obolo stated this at the opening ceremony of the maiden edition of a 17 Days “Ogbia Traditional Wrestling Festival”, tagged, “Ibei Onin” which coincides with the 64th birthday of former President Goodluck Jonathan, organised by an indigenous company, Renew Empire Nigeria and Renew Group Ltd of the Republic of Turkey, at Otuoke, Yenagoa.
Obolo stated that he was inspired to organize the wrestling tournament as a means of engaging the youths and fostering unity in the communities.
According to Obolo the seventeen days traditional wrestling festival is intended to take away youths from the streets and redirect their productive energies to gainful employment, with a view to pulling them of crime and other social vices.
He noted that, the decline of interest in traditional combat sports like traditional wrestling had compelled youths to resort to use of arms to perpetrate crime.
Explaining the original concept of the traditional wrestling festival which maiden edition opened on November 20, being the birthday of former president Goodluck Jonathan, Engr. Obolo said: “apart from pulling the youths out of the street, the intention is to make the traditional wrestling a professional sport that could be competed for at the Olympics games with redefined rules.
“This festival idea has kept me busy for the past six months and the idea is to provide a platform for our teeming youths, the demography of our population shows that youths are in the majority.
“The private sector needs to compliment government’s youth policies, for instance, the National Sports Festival holds once in two years, and that is not enough, we need other festivals in between.
“That is why I have taken it up to start this traditional wrestling festival for Ogbia communities to provide incentives to youths to participate, the idea is to use this platforms to take youths out of the streets.
“Our aim is to professionalise our traditional wrestling and preserve this culture among the youths and we are bringing the technical expertise of wrestling coaches to develop the rules of the game and give reward to good performance.
“That is how we hope to take our traditional wrestling to the world and we are open to collaboration with public spirited organisations and individuals to join us as we do this for our youths,” Obolo said.
Also speaking, Chief Mirobebh Akpufu, Second Deputy Paramount Ruler of Otuoke community, who spoke on behalf of the Paramount Ruler, King Paul Oke noted that the traditional leadership applauds the idea of a festival to promote wrestling.
He urged traditional rulers in various communities to encourage participation of the subjects by supporting and making donations to motivate the youths to take to traditional wrestling as it used to be in the past.
Events lined up for 17-Day traditional wrestling festival include, music jamboree, comedy, competition for young talents, swimming contests, cooking/eating competition, reggae sun splash, with the likes of Arthur Pepple Jr., Singaman Splash, Pastor Royal, Moses B, Black Splash, Tree cutting and talent hunt, highlife, hip hop with Dan Dizzy, carnival, dance group presentations and old school night. Artistes that featured at opening include, Kenneth Fregene, African China.
