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By Emma Jemegah
Former President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Chief Solomon Ogba, has lauded the organisers of the annual Okpekpe 10 kilometre road race for impacting on the host community.
Speaking with Daily Sunsports/SportingSun at the weekend, in Okpekpe, Ogba said the chairman of Padmozi, the organisers of race, Chief Mike Itemuagbo, has succeeded in bringing the once sleepy town to the global attention with the annual race, noting that because of his effort and the partnership with the Edo State government, Okpekpe town’s economy has been boosted.
According to Chief Ogba, the people of Okpekpe now see the day of the race of their Christmas, stressing that the town is gradually turning to a big city.
“I want to commend Itemuagbor for conceptualizing this idea and hosting it in his village. He (Itemuagbor) is now a hero in Okpekpe because the people now see him as a liberator. You can see that new buildings are springing up in Okpekpe while the farmers and the petty traders that have opportunity to market their products to the outside world.
“I am happy that the concept that started during my tenure as president AFN has grown so huge that, if well managed, could boost the tourism potentials of the town and Edo State as a whole,” Ogba said.
