By Adebayo Abubakar
The Nigeria Pillar of Sports, Chief Donatus Agu-Ejidike JP has greeted Nigerians, especially, those within the Sports fraternity, as we step into the new year – 2024.
Ejidike gave the greeting during an interaction with newsmen, at his Nnewi-country-home, on the eve of the New Year, while reflecting on the journey of 2023, during which Nigeria recorded some great sporting moments as well as, some low moments. Some of the great moments included when Tobi Amusan, the Nigerian 110 meters hurdle star, won the Golden league, and also set a world record that is still standing.
She was temporarily suspended for an alleged doping offence, which was later lifted on the eve of the World Athletic Championship in Hungary, something that drastically affected her performance at the championship.
The women senior national football team, the Super Falcons, also went to the FIFA Women World Cup, putting up a kind of performance that made every African proud, especially in their 2nd round match against the eventual runners-up, the Three Lionesses of England in pulsating encounter that ended goalless at extra time, and had to be decided by penalty shoot out. But the eleven-time African champions unfortunately lost.
Against all odds, the Super Eagles qualifies for the AFCON 2023, billed for Cote d’Ivoire from 13th of January to 11th of February 2024. Victor Osimhen also won the African Footballer of the Year, 2023, 24 years after a Nigerian (Kanu Nwankwo) last did, alongside Asisat Oshoala who won the women category, for a record six-time, to make it a clean sweep for Nigeria in Marrakech – the venue of the award gala.
The Super Falcons also won the Women “National Team of the Year, while the team’s goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie emerged the best female goalkeeper of the year, in the women category, for her penalty-saning heroics, for club and country.
These and many other achievements are what the Anambra-born Sports philanthropist describes as something Nigerians should be proud of, and from which the nation can draw inspirations, going into the new year, especially now that the Super Eagles prepare for the AFCON tournament in Abu Dhabi.
The Nnewi-born business mogul, especially, commended Nigerian athletes for their resilience in the face of adversities, whenever and wherever they represented the country, during the period under review. Ejidike, therefore, urge Nigerians not to dwell too much on what they perceive as failure, as there are a lot of positives that can inspire us going into the new year.
The former president of the Karate Federation of Nigeria(KFN), also commended Sports administrators in the country, particularly, the Honourable Minister for Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, and heads of the various Sports federations in general, for their efforts towards achieving what the country recorded in the outgone year, as he charges them to do more to take Nigeria to the pinnacle of sporting achievements among the comity of sporting nations in the world.
He concluded by reiterating his commitment to partnering other stakeholders in the country for Sports Development, while wishing all Nigerians a blissful and prosperous new year ahead.
