ABUJA – No fewer than 137 serving and retired officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force were on Friday in Abuja honoured in the maiden Police Sports Award ceremony.
Five categories of awards, including Corporate/Friends of the Police Award and Retired Officers for Sports Award were presented.
Others were; Award for Police Management Team, Post-Humours Award for Officers for Sports and Serving Police Officers in Planning Committee Award.
A total of 46 officers and men who distinguished themselves in sports before their death were presented with the post-humours awards.
Late Force Sports Officer Sanomi Dickens, an Assistant Inspector General of Police and Sunday Bada, a Superintendent of Police who represented Nigeria at different Olympics were among the post-humours award recipients.
Mohammed Abubakar, the Inspector General of Police who presented the awards to the officers and men, said the Nigeria Police would continue to produce athletes for the country for international competitions.
He said “there is no organisation in Nigeria today that can boast of and is more proud than the police in terms of sports development for Nigeria.
“That is why we decided for the first time in the history of the police to appreciate you for your support, contributions and partnership that works.
“We are indeed grateful to the sports men and women in the Nigerian Police today, serving and retired, for your contributions and for making the police what it is today in terms of sports development.
“We have produced champions for Nigeria and no organisation can contest that but I want to put it on record that we don’t buy sports men and women.”
The police boss said that the force, under the leadership of past I-Gs have developed, nurtured and produced winners for the country.
“What the country needs to do is to allow young men and women who are talented in sports to grow and flourish like flowers, and make Nigeria great,’’ Abubakar said.
Chioma Ajunwa, an Assistant Commissioner of Police who won Olympic gold in long jump for Nigeria at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics commended the IG- for the honour done them.
She said the police sports unit was working round the clock to ensure the police produced athletes who would replicate their performance. (NAN)
