May 31, (THEWILL) – About 23 years ago, Prince Ned Nwoko thought of founding a sports university in Idumuje-Ugboko, Delta State. When he was a member of the Federal House of Representatives, he sponsored a bill for the establishment of an institution of this kind in order to bridge the gap between sport and education.
Nwoko wanted a university that would offer both conventional and specialised courses, where students would graduate with double honours.
He believed that if founded, the sports university would be a veritable ground for selection of sportsmen and women who would represent Nigeria at local and international competitions.
Today, a dream that started many years ago has come to fruition as the Federal Government recently approved the issuance of a provisional licence to 12 new universities, amongst which is Nwoko’s Sports University of Nigeria.
The focal point of the university is excellence in sport: 80 per cent sport and 20 per cent study. It will serve as home to persons who want to do sport and be educated enough to express themselves. It is the first of its kind in Africa.
It would be recalled that Nwoko became the first black African to travel to the freezing South Pole in Antarctica in 2020, while on an expedition to create awareness of the scourge of Malaria in Africa, a disease that has ravaged the continent for decades.
Through the malaria project, the Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation hopes to achieve a zero malaria status for Nigeria and Africa.
