Taekwondo Federation inspires kids at IDP Camp in Maiduguri

• explores possibility of introducing taekwondo

The Nigeria Taekwondo Federation visit the “Farm Center” internally displaced persons [IDP] camp in Maiduguri, Borno state over the weekend.

The objective of the visit was to distribute some taekwondo equipment and explore the possibility of introducing taekwondo to a couple of the IDP camps National Daily gathered.

National Daily learnt that during the visit, the 20-person contingent led by the NTF President Mrs Margaret Elizabeth Binga engaged over 200 children in taekwondo training and physical exercises.

Other persons in the contingent included: Alhaji Yusuf Mustapha [Deputy Director of Sports]; Mr Taiwo Oriss, NTF Secretary-General; Alhaji Sani Lawal Chairman NTF Technical & Development Committee, Mr Tony Anafulu Chairman NTF Para Taekwondo Committee, Mr Chika Chukwumerije NTF Technical Director, Mr Michael Ugboko Member NTF Para-Taekwondo Committee, Mr Isah Okon Head Coach Borno State Taekwondo and 12 borno state taekwondo athletes.

Director of State Emergency Management Agency, Engr Satomi Ahmed, thank the Federation for paying the historic visit to the camp.

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“you can see how happy the kids are. Activities like this engage them and gives them a lot of hope. We hope that a program can be established so the young people can be consistently engaged”.

President of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation promised to explored every possibility to introduce taekwondo to the camps.

“These are the people that sports that help most. We will start the bureaucratic process that will get the Federation cleared to start up this program. It would keep the local coaches in borno busy, the kids engaged and certainly we hope that in a few years, many of these kids would have developed their talents and be good enough to enter the national teams”
Taekwondo uniforms and taekwondo kicking shoes were delivered to the camp authorities to distribute to the kids, with the Federation promising to send in several bags to rice with a fortnight to complement the donated items.

The visit to the IDP camp was don on the back of a successfully completed basic coaching workshop for the region. A total of 45 participants from Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Nasarawa, Bauchi and one participant from Cameroon were taught the latest taekwondo rules and basic taekwondo coaching methodology during the workshop.

It is the first of six workshops that federation will organize across the six geo-political zones. The other cities to hold the workshop include Abakaliki, Makurdi, Osogbo, Gusau and Calabar.