Sports

Senator John Owan Enoh: A Blessing to the Nigerian Sports Industry

Published

1 year ago

May 15, 2024

The Nigerian sports industry has long awaited a leader with the passion, dedication, and strategic acumen to elevate it to greater heights. The emergence of Senator John Owan Enoh as the Minister of Sports Development has breathed new life into the industry, bringing with it a wave of optimism and progress.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to sports development was evident from the outset, as he took the decisive step of unbundling the sports ministry from youth development. This move proved to be a masterstroke, setting the stage for success in the sports industry. Under Senator Enoh’s leadership, the Ministry of Sports has flourished, guided by a strong framework for success.

In a dedicated effort to fortify and enhance the sports landscape in Nigeria, Senator John Owan Enoh unveiled a comprehensive six-point agenda known as W.A.I.F.A.R. This agenda, encompassing welfare, activation of grassroots sports development, infrastructure development, funding for sports development, reorganization of sports federations, and revitalization of school sports, represents a pivotal step towards transforming the sports industry.

Senator Enoh’s leadership has yielded tangible results, as evidenced by Nigeria’s rancor-free AFCON campaign earlier this year, which culminated in a silver medal in Cote d’Ivoire. His expert management ensured a smooth and successful campaign, demonstrating his ability to lead from the front and curtail potential issues. In a testament to Senator Enoh’s passion and commitment, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved a substantial N12 billion disbursement to address outstanding payments owed to Nigeria’s national teams and boost morale ahead of the African Cup of Nations. Senator Enoh’s proactive approach and decisive action exemplify true leadership.

The same success was achieved when Team Nigeria competed in Ghana alongside other African nations at the 2023 African Games. Asides sweeping a record-breaking number of medals in a lot of sports and other accomplishments, the campaign was free of major controversies and distractions. Nigeria had finished second behind Egypt while showing dominance in a number of sports.

The country is headed for the Olympic Games, and over the weekend, it clinched four additional Olympic Games events during the World Relays Championship in the Bahamas.

Nigeria’s sports landscape is on the cusp of a transformative period under Senator John Owan Enoh’s leadership. With the dusting up of the 10-year football masterplan and the establishment of a ministerial high-performance committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Nigeria is poised for unprecedented success on the global stage.

In an unprecedented achievement, Nigeria participated in the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea, marking its first-ever appearance in the history of the event. This milestone, made possible under Senator Enoh’s visionary leadership, showcases Nigeria’s commitment to excellence and inclusivity in sports.

Senator John Owan Enoh’s impact as the Minister of Sports Development is undeniable, and his innovative initiatives and unwavering dedication have positioned Nigeria for greatness in the world of sports. He is indeed a blessing to Nigeria, and his legacy will endure for generations to come.

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Sports

A Triumphant Close to the 22nd National Sports Festival

Published

3 days ago

May 29, 2025

The Gleamer

…As organisers promise another spectacle at closing ceremony on Thursday

Joel Ajayi

After 11 days of a true showcase of sporting competition in multiple Sports by some of the country’s top and even promising athletes, the curtain will finally be drawn on what many have described as one of the best ever organised National Sports festivals, when the closing ceremony is held on Thursday at the MKO Sports Arena in Abeokuta.

Whilst the quality of the Games’ opening ceremony is still getting tongues wagging, the entire sporting family and beyond is now anxiously looking forward to what the closing ceremony will look like.

The last 11 days have showcased Ogun state as a true Sporting hub with potential to even do more, with the quality of the facilities built for the games and the enthusiasm of the people who made the various venues their second home in the last few days.

A big testament to this was the history-making crowd that attended the male football final between Ogun state and Kwara State, which the host won by 4-1.

The MKO stadium was filled to full capacity while the crowd outside watching from the big screen reminds one of how much Sports is truly the soul of our togetherness as a country.

From the Alake Sports centre in Ijeja and the Baptist boys high school, to the Obafemi Awolowo square and the Remo stadium both in Ikenne, to the NYSC orientation camp in Shagamu, and the Ilisan town hall in Ilisan, the festival never lacked spectatorship throughout the games.

The Games actually lived up to the pre-tournament hype as both the National Sports Commission, NSC and the Ogun state Government pulled out every administrative capacity to ensure both athletes, officials and the media have an unforgettable experience.

The Gateway Games 2024 had been full of exciting drama and intrigues amongst the states and athletes which led to different new records being set and some old records being shattered.

The festival has also produced for the country some new exciting young talents especially with the shocking performance of the 38th state, the Invited Junior Athletes ( IJA), where they ended up winning some surprised medals to justify the Commission’s establishment of the initiative.

As the Closing ceremony holds on Thursday, the leadership of the National Sports commission, NSC, expresses its profound gratitude to the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Ogun State Government for making sure millions of Nigerian youths see a renewed brighter future in the country through the National Sports Festival.
The NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dilko said ” our overwhelming gratitude goes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,GCFR, for his personal commitment to the development of Nigerian Sports by giving us every support financially and otherwise for the success of this festival”.

” And the Ogun state Governor, Dapo Abiodun also deserves a huge praise for the feat we all recorded with these games. I can’t thank him enough and posterity will surely remember him for good “.

The NSC Director General who is also the Chairman of the Main organising committee of the games, Hon Bukola Olopade also extended his gratitude to all the technocrats behind the scene that are responsible for the successful organisation of the games.

” From all the members of the Main organising committee to the various sub committees, to members of the local organising committees and all our technical officials in the various sports to the media and our athletes, every success that everyone is talking about concerning these Games belongs to you all”.

” Yes it was not a perfect festival because we acknowledged we had also some challenges but let me assure everyone that some of the challenges are already being worked upon ahead of the next Games holding in Enugu state next year”, he concluded.

The Closing ceremony is expected to bring together top Government functionaries to captain of industries while there will also be the rich cultural display of the state as Ogun state will officially pass the barton of hosting to Enugu state for the 23rd edition of the Games come September 2026.

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