At least 25 public-spirited Nigerians, prominent among them, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Late MKO Abiola, Late Prophet TB Joshua are to be honoured for their immense contributions to sports development in Nigeria.
The president Nigeria Sports Philanthropists’ award, Mr. Vincent Michael, has said the awards night which will be held on January 20, 2023, is a platform generated by the Society for Promotion of Sports, the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports Development, the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), Sports Writers of Nigeria (SWAN) to give honour and recognition to those who deserve it in terms of their contribution and support to the sport industry at all levels.
He said “Over the years, Nigeria has been engaging in one sporting activity or the other with emphasis largely on the athletes and their coaches. But little or nothing has been said concerning Nigerian sports philanthropists who have continued to invest their hard earned money to develop facilities, sponsor and support the athletes.
“Most of them had to sacrifice the comfort of their immediate families to always ensure they provided for the athletes as and when due. Some even singlehandedly ran sports clubs for several years.”
Michael reiterated that the awards to be given to deserving Nigerians dead and alive will encourage others to support sports development because they too know that their modest support would be appreciated someday.
Apart from the awards, he said a launching and fund raising for the sum of N1.5b to be used for the construction of 12 standard basketball courts, 12 standard tennis courts and 12 mini-football fields at different public schools in the six-geo-political zones of the country would be held.
“Our goal is to enhance the living standard of the Nigerian youth for a united and better country through sports,” he said.
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