Thirteen-year old gymnastics sensation, Munyal Kwairanga, was among outstanding players and football administrators who received special recognition awards at the inaugural edition of Prudential Sports Football Awards ceremony which was held over the weekend in Gombe.
It will be recalled that the young Munyal was the cynosure of all eyes at the 2024 National Youth Games in Asaba where she won three gold medals in gymnastics.
For bringing immense pride to Gombe State, Munyal was selected by the organisers and honoured among outstanding football players and administrators in the state.
Among those honoured at the well-attended event was the owner of Mailantarki FC, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki who received a special award for his immense contributions to grassroots football development in the state.
Similarly, Jabir Hassan of Mailantarki FC won the Breakthrough Player and Rising Star award, NPFL referees Buhari Bawa Pitani, took home the Golden Whistle Award while Haruna Isa Kalshingi was named Referee of the Year.
In his remarks, Chairman of the occasion and former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Sani Ahmed Toro, commended the organisers for recognising and conferring prestigious awards on football talents in the state.
He called on both Bauchi and Gombe state governments to set up football academies that would identify young talents, and give them the opportunity to discover their potential and excel at the national level.
In a goodwill speech, Chairman of Gombe Local Government Council, Barrister Sani Ahmed Haruna, commended the organisers for the event, which he said brought together the people of Gombe irrespective of political party affiliations.
He, therefore, announced N500,000 cash reward to young Munyal, and N100,000 cash prize to each of the other recipients of the various categories of the awards.
The CEO of Prudential Sports Limited, Malam Farouk Yarma, explained that the aim of the award is to promote excellence and engender the growth of the game of football in the state.
The former Chairman of Gombe State Sports Commission said there are a lot of outstanding players in the state who can represent the Nigerian national teams.
Yarma, therefore, expressed hope that the awards would motivate the recipients to aspire for stardom in their chosen career.
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