Following the impressive haul of awards by Nigerian athletes at the recent CAF Awards in Morocco, the Senate Committee on Sports Development has called on the Federal Government to significantly increase its investment in sports.
In the CAF Awards, Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen won the Men’s African Player of the Year Award, Asisat Oshoala won Women’s African Player of the year, Chiamaka Nnadozie won the Best Goalkeeper of the year, while the Super Falcons won the best Women’s National Team Award.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Suleiman Kawu Sumaila, the Awards are described “as bold and big statements made on behalf of Nigeria by the winners”.
“It is a wake up call for government to invest more in Sports and to pull the private sector more into it,” he added.
The Senate, through its Sports Committee, congratulated President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Sports, Senator John Owan Enoh and Nigeria Football Federation ( NFF), on the feats recorded by Nigerians from the CAF Awards.
Senator Sumaila in the statement also described the harvest of Awards by Nigerians as new dawn for sports in the country under the ‘ Renewed Hope’ agenda of President Tinubu.
“By this clean sweep of awards by our son, Victor Osimhen, our daughters Asisat Oshoala, Chiamaka Nnadozie and the entire Super Falcons Team, we in the Senate Committee will leverage on the success for Nation building,” Senator Sumaila said.
“We stand to be corrected, no sector has done Nigeria this proud. No sector has brought Nigeria honour and glory more than sports . This is the more reason for the development of the sector in making it one of the strongest pillars for diversification of the Nation’s economy.”
“We will not encourage the handshake policy of the past to be used for those who have done us the new honours but ensure that those who deserve to be rewarded are handsomely rewarded to serve as an encouragement for others to strive to be the best,” he concluded.
