PRESS RELEASE
RELEGATION OF HEARTLAND FOOTBALL CLUB: THE SORRY STATE OF SPORTS IN IMO STATE.
The former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives and PDP Governorship Candidate in the 2015 general elections, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha has received with rude shock and disbelieve the report of the relegation of Heartland Football Club of Owerri to the lower division.
This is yet another episode in the misfortune that has befallen us under the Governor Rochas Okorocha administration.
This avoidable tragedy is indeed a very sad moment in our sports history and should be a source of concern among sports lovers and the good people of Imo State in general. Whether as Spartans, Iwuanyanwu Nationale or Heartland, this club has consistently remained the pride of Imo people. But in the year we should have marked the 40th year anniversary of the creation of Imo State with nostalgic reflections of resilience, accomplishments and hope for a better future, Heartland which once prided as one of only two clubs yet to be relegated from the elite league, lost that status under Okorocha's watch.
What a gift at 40!
It is ironic that while a state like Abia which receives less federal allocation than Imo maintains two Premiership Football Clubs and an Amateur team, the Okorocha administration could not manage the only club so dear to IMO people. This no doubt signposts a deliberate dismantling of institutions of state.
Heartland's situation truly reflects the state of sports in Imo. Since the advent of Governor Rochas Okorocha administration, the sector has suffered neglect. A visit to the once famous Dan Anyiam Sports Complex, Owerri will paint a true picture of the situation. There is no functional facility in the complex. Most pathetic is the monumental Grasshoppers International Handball Stadium that hosted Africa in 1987. That facility now elicits tears. So how would one expect Grasshoppers Handball Club to be all-conquering as they were in the past?
Such is also the state of the Dan Anyiam football turf, the tartan tracks, the terraces, the indoor sports hall, gymnasium, basketball and volleyball courts. The entire complex has been taken over by weeds and filth. You can then imagine the pathetic state our athletes train; a situation that has forced Imo indigenes to rather represent other states at the National Sports Festival. What has happened to Heartland is only a wakeup call as greater DOOM and GLOOM await the sporting fraternity in the state particularly in the forthcoming National Sports Festival if nothing is done to arrest this sorry situation. It becomes more worrisome as there is no visible road map to revising this ugly trend in the nearest future because we have a governor who seems not to have the interest of the state as the focus of his administration.
By neglecting a vital sector like Sports, the Okorocha administration has not only denied the teaming Imo youths the opportunity for gainful employment and empowerment but has also dismantled all sporting legacies of previous administrations in the state.
The question is, how did previous administrations succeed in not only keeping the club and other sports afloat, but competitive? The fact is that Okorocha has failed where all his predecessors succeeded. The painful aspect is that there is no conscious effort to check the dip in our sports fortunes. The relegation of Heartland FC is a harbinger of the danger that lies ahead of us in the life of this administration.
Governor Rochas Okorocha should declare a state of emergency in the sports sector and immediately commence a comprehensive rehabilitation and provision of facilities for sporting activities in the stadium to save the state from this shame while conscious and deliberate effort at ensuring that the club returns to the Premier league should also commence with a view to restoring our pride of place among the comity of elite football clubs in Africa.
My heart goes out, particularly to the players, the coaching staff, members of the supporters club and indeed the management for their commitment, while traversing the entire country to honour match fixtures at the risk of their lives.
I enjoin all of us who are pained by this mishap not to despair but to keep the spirit of Heartland alive as we collectively work towards returning our dear state to glorious years soon.
May God help us.
Chibuike Onyeukwu
Head, Ihedioha Media Office.
11th October, 2016