President Goodluck Jonathan
on Wednesday splashed over N300 million on athletes and their officials
who made the country proud at different international competitions in
2014.
Jonathan
announced the cash rewards at a reception in honour of the 351 sports
men and women at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that among the athletes were those
who participated in the African Senior Athletics Championships in
Marrakech, Morocco, and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Others
were participants in the African Youth Games in Gaborone, Botswana; the
World Junior Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA, and the 2014 FIFA
Female U-20 Football World Cup in Montreal, Canada.
The
list included athletes in the Partille World Handball Youth
Championships, in Sweden; the World Power lifting championships in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the African Shooting Championship in
Cairo, Egypt.
Also on the list were participants in the African Senior Wrestling Championship and the African Junior Wrestling Championship.
In
a remark, Jonathan reassured Nigerians that his administration was
determined to ensure that all sectors of national life were given the
necessary motivation to achieve set goals.
Jonathan
gave the assurance while hosting the country’s athletics and officials
who emerged victorious at different international competitions in 2014.
He
noted that the athletes’ achievements attested to the fact that with
adequate preparation and motivation, Nigerians could surmount all
obstacles to attain set goals.
According
to him, government will continue to appreciate and reward excellence to
serve as inspiration to those who are called to represent the country.
While savouring the achievements of the athletes, the president recalled that the journey to the present was not easy.
“Realising
the significance of sports in national transformation, I took the
decision to organise a retreat for the sports sector in 2012.
“This arose from my conviction that our outing at the 2012 Olympic Games did not represent full potential.
“Of
course, if you look at the continent of Africa, we have the largest
population; we are highest in terms of diversity and our economy is also
the largest.
“In any competition in Africa, third position is not good enough for us because in all the other parameters we are never third.
“I am happy to note that things have progressively changed for the better since that retreat,” he said.
Jonathan commended that National Sports Commission for the “dedicated implementation” of the decisions taken at that retreat.
The
president noted that the exploits of the athletes had gone a long way
in further boosting the country’s image in the comity of nations.
He
added that their zeal and dedication were remarkable and Nigeria’s flag
was raised high to the delight and glory of all citizens.
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