DELTA State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has bagged the 2013 Sports Governor of the Year award .
The Governor who was conferred with the award yesterday [26-11-13] at the 2nd Nigeria Sports Award Ceremony held at the MUSON Centre, Lagos, thanked the organisers of the event and said that majority of Nigerian Governors are doing a lot to encourage sports development at the grassroots.
Dr. Uduaghan commended his fellow nominees for the award Governors Babatunde Fashola and Liyel Imoke of Lagos and Cross Rivers States, respectively for their grassroots sport developmental efforts and observed that with the commitment of Governors to sports development, Nigeria will win at least one gold medal in the 2016 Olympic games asserting that “it is important for us to invest in sports development”.
The Commissioner for Information in Delta State, Barr Chike Ogeah; his Higher Education counterpart, Prof. Hope Eghagha and the Commissioner for Special Infrastructure, Mrs Orezi Esievo congratulated the Governor on the award, observing that it was well deserved.
According to Barr Ogeah, Governor Uduaghan has entrenched the culture ofsports in Delta State, asserting, “Sports has being a culture and tradition in Delta State, the only difference now is that this Governor is institutionalising it with the kind of encouragement he is giving grassroots sports.”
Also, Prof Eghagha said Dr Uduaghan’s emergence as the Sports Governor of the year “was well deserved and we congratulate him. We also celebrate with our own blessing Okagbare, we celebrate with the winners, we celebrate with Deltans” while Mrs Esievo said Governor Uduaghan has done a lot to encourage the development of sports especially at primary and secondary schools.
According to her, “I am very delighted and grateful to God for this award because the infrastructure is on ground and the Governor has said every school must have sports facilities.”
Victor Moses beat John Mikel Oki and Sunday Mba to be named the Nigerian Footballer of the Year 2013, while Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi was presented with the Nigerian Coach of the Year award and Perpetual Nkwocha of the Super Falcons won the female footballer of the year.
The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari beat two Deltans, the President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Chief Solomon Ogba and the Chairman, Delta State Sports Commission, Amaju Pinnick to clinch the Sports Administrator of the year award.
Delta-born Africa’s fastest woman, Blessing Okagbare won the Track and Field Star of the Year award while another Deltan, Divine Oduduru won the Discovery of the Year award. Blessing Okagbare also emerged as the Sports Woman of the year while Mikel Obi however won the Sports man of the year.