Ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2025 Gombe Inter Secondary Schools Athletics Championship and Grassroots Football Competition slated for Tuesday, January 21, at the Patani Stadium, participating athletes, officials and other stakeholders, including journalists, have started arriving in Gombe, the state capital city for the much anticipated Grassroots sports fiesta.
According to the event programmes released by the organisers yesterday, Governor Inuwa Yahaya top the list of dignitaries invited for the opening ceremony of the championships being put together by the Gombe State Athletics Association under leadership of Ahmed Gara Gombe in collaboration with the Green White Green (GWG) Sports Center Limited
The opening ceremony initially scheduled for Sunday, January 19, LEADERSHIP Sports gathered, was moved to Tuesday, January 21, to allow the organizers ample time to get the competition into full swing with less distraction.
His Royal Highness, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar III the Emir of Gombe, who is also the chairman of Gombe State Council Of Emir will serve as the royal Father of the Day during the opening ceremony of the competition featuring athletes from 73 schools in 11 local government areas of the Gombe State.
Other distinguish guest that will grace of the opening ceremony are Professor, Abubakar Ibrahim Njodi, the secretary to the state government, Commissioner for Eleducation in Gombe State, Professor, Aishatu Umar Maigari and his Youth and Sports counterpart, Alhaji Adamu Inuwa Pantami.
The chairman of Gombe State Athletics Association, Ahmed Gara Gombe, who is also the director general of the competition, explained that the State Ministry of Education and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), are fully behind this initiative.
The SUBEB Boss in the State, Alhaji Babaji Babadidi, will also be attendance at the opening and closing ceremonies with Barrister Sani Haruna, the ALGON Chairman Gombe State and Chairman Gombe Local Government Area.