Ojudu endorses Nigeria Olympic Fund project

The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, has praised the initiative of the Nigeria Olympic Fund, led by former Nigerian athletes, as one project every citizen, individual and corporate entity deserves to support, monitor and ensure it is delivered.
Senator Ojudu spoke in his office in Abuja when he hosted the management team of the Fund, led by Chief Mary Onyali.
He said: “This is a project providing employment spaces, giving our youths hope of a career future and an assured guarantee for international podium success in sports.”
Ojudu gladly recalled that The Nation’s Editor, Gbenga Omotosho, was an international table tennis prodigy, but who the pursuit of education snatched away from a fantastic sports career.
He added: “With the Basic Olympic Opportunity Sports Training, which you are using to bring forth new stars, we can have so many of his ilks who will be retained to have education and enjoy sports.
“You made me feel that there is some renewed hope in our nation with this project.
“Every Nigerian, individual and corporate should not only participate in the funding but also in the organisation and management of the project.
“Your governance structure is ennobling.”
Ojudu singled out Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), “who we read in the papers how he launched off this process with N10 million and promised you so much support.
“You are also guaranteed the support of the Federal Government to help our nation excel within the comity of nations.”
Speaking earlier, Onyali, the Executive Director (Technical), told the Adviser: “It is our ambition that by Tokyo 2020, we shall have a plethora of great athletes who shall be making our country proud in international sports.
“We shall be having 15-league system that will generate hundreds of thousands of employment spaces either as financial advisors, technical managers, statisticians, informal economy operators, airline and hospitality functions.
“We have a strict governance structure that will ensure that all monies in the project are well spent with judicious prudence.
“Every community hosting our projects have a role in all the processes.
“Those of us behind the project will just ignite the setting, while a varied set of stakeholders will manage all the activities involving funding and its dissemination.”
Also on Chief Onyali’s team are Olajide Fashikun, Alhaji Abdulfatai Adeshina and Oluwole Francis.