Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Barr Solomon Dalung, yesterday, received over 15 Canoeing, wrestling medal-winning athletes and officials in Abuja, commending the board members of the two sports federations.
Speaking after decorating the medallists, he charged the athletes and officials to do everything within their capacity to make Nigeria proud in the Morocco 2020 All African Games, assuring that the ministry will continue to support the federations and athletes.
He insisted that sports, in the past three years, has already moved to the next level, stressing that the sports family will roll out drum, even as he insisted that sports ministry is the best performing ministry in the country.
While challenging the athletes to work very hard to excel in their subsequent outing, he revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari was impressed with the performance of sports, promising to ensure that the ministry continues to prioritise the welfare of athletes.
“All we need to do is make Nigeria proud. Under my watch, we will ensure that we prioritise the welfare of athletes. I am delighted to welcome you all to this august occasion organised in honour of our esteemed wrestling and canoe teams, who recently did Nigeria proud at the Africa Championships held from 26-31 March, 2019 in Hammamet, Tunisia and the Open International Canoe Sprint Championship held from 21, 26 March, 2019, in Bhopal, India, respectively.
“Wrestling is proving to be one of Nigeria’s strongest sports both at the continental and global levels.
Whether it is at the continental or global level, Nigerian wrestler have distinguished themselves as a force to reckon with, thus giving the sport an enviable place of pride and elevating the country’s image as a top wrestling nation.