By Omuboye Sukubo
Port Harcourt – TheMinister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, on Monday commended Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers for initiating the Nyesom Wike National Wrestling Championship.
The minister said the championship was setting an agenda for Nigeria in the forthcoming continental challenge in Februuary 2018.
Dalung who spoke during the opening ceremony of the wrestling championship in Port Harcourt said that the championship was the first national competition sponsored by a state government with 700 athletes, 24 states, and 12 clubs.
“I have been wondering why this historic event is holding in Rivers, but I can say that there is a genuine spirit of the love of is sports in Rivers.
“This is setting an agenda for Nigeria to compete in two months where we will be hosting 54 African nations for the continental challenge.
“Rivers is the host because sports have no language, doesn’t have a political party and doesn’t know tribe too,” he said.
He emphasised that sports was the only genuine family where hate was not accommodated or known.
The minister urged the athletes to have in mind that the African championship would take place in two months, hence the need to be well prepared.
He said that President Buhari had decided to restore the glory of Nigeria with sports and as such, was ready to partner with anybody that was ready.
According to him, since individual political interests could not be superior to the national interest, everybody needed to join hands to make Nigeria a safe place for the man black man from anywhere in the world.
Dalung commended Wike for sponsoring the wrestling championship and pleaded with him mobilise other governors to support sports.
He also commended the Nigerian Wrestling Federation (NWF) for winning nine medals in Paris and urged them to make the nation proud in the upcoming African tournament. (NAN)