FR DIKE GRADUATES AS NIGERIA’S FIRST REV FR GRADE ONE FOOTBALL COACH
…BAGS HONOURARY AWARD/BADGE FROM LEADERSHIP AND CITIZENSHIP TRAINING CENTRE LAGOS
By Abuchi Onwumelu (Fides Newspaper, Awka)
A priest of the catholic diocese of Awka, Rev Fr Obinna Dike last week graduated from the National Institute for Sports (NIS) Lagos, with the highest football coaching professional certificate offered by the Institute. Fr Obinna enrolled January 2014 for Higher Diploma in Football Coaching at the institute. After two grueling semesters in the intricacies of contemporary football coaching dynamics and practicals, Fr Obinna who was the immediate past editor of Fides Newspaper and Fides Assistant Director before his choice of sports studies, left NIS Saturday upbeat about lifting sports in Nigeria.
At NIS Lagos, Fr Obinna alongside other graduands in coaching and sports management underwent professional training in massage, recreation, coahing/training, fitness, conditioning, sports law, sports and stadium management. Other areas included sports injuries/first aid, nutrition, finance/budgeting, research, statistics, test, measurement, evaluation, laws of the game/officiating and others. Fr Obinna also studied coaching in Athletics as an elective course. The National Institute for Sports (NIS) is the only institute that certifies sports coaches and managers with professional certificates in Nigeria. It offers basic, advance, diploma and higher diploma professional certificates to deserving students to practice.
In a related development, the reverend father in question distinguished himself from the pool of his other 34 colleagues who underwent a one week leadership and citizenship training at the Leadership and Citizenship Training Centre, Sea School, Snake Island, Apapa Lagos. Decorating Fr Obinna Dike with the Blue Badge of honour denoting exemplary leadership qualities on Friday, the Coordinating officer of Sea School, Mrs L. O. Faleye, commended the catholic priest for overwhelmingly winning over the entire staff and students of Sea School with his outstanding humility, maturity, doggedness, tact, perseverance, tolerance, team spirit, sacrifice and rare intelligence. He urged him as an honourary officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to always respect the badge by showing exemplary leadership qualities.
Fr Obinna Dike who hails from Anambra state and was ordained a priest in 2001, is a grade one referee in the Nigerian football league. He is also a sports journalist( member SWAN and NUJ), a sports scientist and psychologist. Fr Obinna has his first degrees in Philosophy and Theology, post graduate diploma in education, post graduate diploma in mass communication, masters in sport and exercise psychology and this grade one professional certificate in football coaching.

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