Okagbare Wins NOC’s Athlete Of The Year Award

Nigeria’s track and long jump queen, Blessing Okagbare, has been honoured with the prestigious award of Athlete of the Year by the Nigeria Olympic
Committee, for her incredible performance in the year under review.

Okagbare’s sterling performance at the Moscow World Athletics championship, where she won silver and bronze medals in the long jump and tracks and shattered a 14-year jinx, which plagued the country, no doubt put her in good stead for the award.

The award was presented by the Gombe State Governor, Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, to round off the Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, which was held last week.

At the night of glitz at the Government House in Gombe, the Nigeria Football Federation, with the string of successes recorded by the Golden Eaglets and the Super Eagles who won the African Cup of Nations and qualified Nigeria for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil next year, was adjudged the Most Improved Sport Federation and received a glittering trophy for bringing back joy to Nigerians in football.

When the award to the NFF was announced, the rapturous applause that followed no doubt showed that it was one well deserved.

Others who walked tall with awards on the night included the Chief Host, Dankwambo, who won the Icon of Grassroots Sports Development award; the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, won award for outstanding contribution to sports development; while IOC member, Engr Habu Gumel, won the award for Outstanding Achievement in Sports Administration.

Dr. Lanre Glover, Major General Adamu Dyeri, General Ayeni also won awards while D’Tigers (male national basketball team) won the award for the Outstanding Team of the year.

President of the NOC, Engr. Sani M. Ndanusa, said that the awards were purely based on merit and was meant to encourage the winners and others to strive hard and to know that Nigerians were appreciative of their contributions to the country.

Governor Dankwambo praised the NOC for being blessed with the quality of leaders as exemplified by Ndanusa and promised to turn Gombe State to a mecca of sports.