Nigeria Pitch Awards excites Mikel Obi

Nigeria and Chelsea FC of England midfield lynchpin, John Mikel Obi,
has spoken of his excitement at the upcoming inaugural edition of the
Nigeria Pitch Awards, which has been slated for November 17, 2013 in
Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Last year, the Nigeria Football Federation endorsed Matchmakers
Consult Limited International to stage the first-ever Nigeria football
awards, blessed with the full backing of the supreme governing body
for the game in the country.
In November last year, the pre-event Night of Stars, designed to
generate nationwide awareness for the Awards, held with resounding
success at the Metropolitan Hotel, Calabar, Cross River State.
Mikel Obi, perhaps the most influential player in the Super Eagles’
squad that triumphed at the Africa Cup of Nations trophy in South
Africa earlier in the year, said at the weekend that he is definitely
looking forward to the event.
He said: “Awards serve as great incentives for sports people all over
the world. There is no doubt that awards compensate for all the hard
work all year round. Every sports person looks forward to receiving
awards which they treasure.
“The Nigeria Pitch Awards has come at the right time. I am personally
looking forward to the event in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State after we must
have qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals. The ceremony will
serve as a real gloss on our World Cup qualification.”
The lubricator, who scored a brilliant goal for Nigeria at the 2013
FIFA Confederations Cup tournament in Brazil in June, says he would be
happy to pick up an award at the event.
He said: “Of course, I will be happy to pick up an award. It will be a
real delight for me and I hope it will be a great event in every sense
of the word.”
The Nigeria Pitch Awards will honour stalwarts in every area of the
football pitch, as well as to referees, administrators, coaches,
sponsors, sports-loving state governments and other stakeholders.
At the weekend, the Chief Executive of Matchmakers Consult, Shina
Philips, assured Nigerians that his organisation is working
assiduously towards ensuring a very credible and successful ceremony.
Philips said: “We have laid out a transparent process that will ensure
the credibility of the Awards, and as for the ceremony itself, we are
leaving no stone unturned to guarantee a highly successful and
colourful event. We are working with the Nigeria Football Federation
to be able to deliver a showpiece that every Nigerian will be proud
of.
“Our commitment to serving the football community a glorious event is
huge. We have ploughed on all along with tremendous faith and despite
all odds, and now we are at a stage that we can boast that everything
is going according to plan for us to kick-start something that will
run for many, many years to come.”