SILVER MEDALIST AT THE JUST CONCLUDED WORLD ATHLETICS IN MOSCO, BLESSING OKAGBARE (L) PRESENTING HER MEDAL TO PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN DURING A RECEPTION IN HER HONOUR AT THE PRESIDENTIAL VILLA ABUJA. SEPTEMBER 11, 2013
SAN FRANCISCO, September 11, (THEWILL) – For her feat at the recently concluded International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) tournament in Moscow, Blessing Okagbare and her coach, Mr Daniel Esebinimo, were, Wednesday, rewarded with cash gifts of N3 million and N3.5 million respectively by President Goodluck Jonathan.
President Jonathan, who presented the cash gifts to Okagbare and her coach before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, also pledged that the Federal Government will soon confer national honours on them.
While congratulating Okagbare for her feat at the tournament, the President stressed the need for the country’s athletes to come back with more gold medals at the forthcoming Olympics.
The President, who disclosed that the Ministries of Sports and Finance have been urged to support the sports sector, said :“We have challenged the Ministry of Sports and of course, the Finance Ministry, to do all what it can to make sure that we support that sector so that our young men and women will do our country proud.
“We have taken a decision that in the next Olympics, we must get medals, gold medals. The last Olympics that we could not get any medal, except the paralympic that we were able to shine, was a bad story.
“Nigeria has been known as a sporting nation, but for sometimes we slide back. But we are lucky that we are building up today. I believe that with young ladies and men like Blessing Okagbare, Nigeria will get back to where we belong and even go further.”
The Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi, who presented the awardees to the president, stated that in the last one year the president has recognised “various sports men and women who have proven themselves on the world stage and have become a source of pride for us all.”
According to Abdullahi, “There is no doubt that this achievement are as a result of Mr. President’s focused leadership and because of this, Nigeria is again becoming s force to reckon with in sports. In athletics, just like in football and weightlifting, we have become the number one nation in Africa.”
Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, from whose State Okagbare hails, recalled that the state has been a trend setter in sports since the days of the military administrator, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, who governed old Bendel which was later split into Edo and Delta.
“Blessing was discovered as one of the local champions and since then, she has grown to be who she is today. So for us in Delta, sports is a very serious business and we take it serious. We ensure that we encourage our athletes, we have the infrastructure and we also have the talents in a way of developing human capitals,” Uduaghan told State House correspondents.
In her response, Okagbare, who promised to work harder in anticipation of the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, expressed gratitude to Delta State Government, which she said “have always been there for me ever since I started sports,” and her mentor, Chief Evangelist Godwin Solomon Ogba.
She also advised the Nigerian youths to work hard and “understand that it is not going to be rosy.” According to Okagbare, “There is going to be pros and cons. But regardless of the outcome, just believe in yourself.”
