By Adebayo Abubakar
The Nigeria’s Pillar of Sports, Chief Donatus Agu-Ejidike JP has commended the senior men national, the Super Eagles for what he described as a sterling performance against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, in one of the round of 16 matches at the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tagged Cote d’Ivoire 2023 on Saturday night.
The Pillar of Sports gave the commendation, Sunday afternoon, in a press release, signed, and made available to the press, by the Chairman, Office of the Nigeria Pillar of Sports (ONPS), Prince Ajide Olayioye, saying the Eagles that turned up for the match on Saturday evening were the Eagles the soccer-loving Nigerians want to see always, as the team hardly put any foot wrong in the match.
Ejidike described the match played at the Houphet Biogny stadium in Abidjan, as one of the star matches of the competition, considering the pedigrees of the two team, and their perennial rivalry between them, at every level of the beautiful game of football. The two sides have eight AFCON trophies between them.
The Anambra-born former president of the Karate Federation of Nigeria had earlier called for an improved performance, following their qualification from the group stage of the competition last Tuesday, when many Nigerians were not so satisfied with the team’s performance. The boys therefore heeded the admonition of the Nnewi-born Sports philanthropist, by putting up a very robust performance against Cameroon, the second most successful team in the history of the competition, thus setting up a quarter final class against Angola who defeated Namibia 3-0, earlier in the day.
In the same vein, Chief Ejidike also congratulated Nigeria’s hurdle Queen, Tobi Amusan for setting a new world indoor record in 60 meter hurdle, right there in Astana, Kazakhstan. Amusan broke a 25-year old record by returning in a time of 7.77 seconds on Saturday, beating Glory Alozie’s record of 7.82s in the Women’s 60m Hurdles which she set 25 years ago.
Ejidike said, Amusan has consistently done Nigeria proud, whenever, and wherever she steps on to the track, more than any other athlete in recent years, despite all the different off-track challenges she has had to contend with. That is the stuff champions are made of. The Ìjẹ̀bú-Ode-born hurdler, is also the world record holder in the 100 meters category, set in Eugene Oregon in the year 2022, with a time of 12.12 seconds.
The seasoned Sports philanthropist therefore urged the Quuen of the track, never to relent in what she does that gives her these victories so that, same can be replicated at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, later in the year.
End.
