The senator representing Oyo Central Senatorial District, Senator Ayoade Adeseun, has reiterated his commitment to continue to support sports across the nation and the Nigerian Premier League in particular.
He spoke in Ibadan at the presentation of a letter of commendation, a golden boot and the cash prize of N200,000 to Jude Aneke, the all-time highest goal scorer of the Nigerian Premier League.
In an event which had in attendance the Oyo state Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Honourable Dapo Lam-Adesina, and the whole contingent of Warri Wolves Football Club, Adeseun noted that he is committed to seeing a better sports development in the country.
In his opening remarks, Lam-Adesina commended the senator for his kind gesture of presenting an award to a player in the local league.
The commissioner noted that the senator’s gesture is an encouragement and a major morale booster for the players of the Nigerian Premier League, while also congratulating Aneke for achieving his outstanding feat and charged him to continue to strive for better results.
According to Adeseun, who is a member of the Senate Committee on Sports, football is the only game in Nigeria that is widely accepted by the people regardless of tribe or ethnicity.
He said: “When there is any football match involving Nigeria, people don’t care whether one is a Hausa or a Yoruba, an Egbesu or a Bakassi boy, they all rally together to support the team.
“Nigerians’ love for the game is inestimable.”
He however noted that he finds it appalling that a country such as Nigeria cannot produce a team that can conquer the world.
He added: “When you walk around the country, you will find kids playing football on the road, on community fields and in neighborhood streets.
“With all these talents, there is nothing that stops Nigeria, a country of 160 million people, to have more than 100 teams that can conquer the world.”
He associated the dwindling fortune of Nigeria’s football with the underdeveloped nature of the local league.
He said it was out of his concern to see that the NPL is well developed that an award is being given to Aneke.
He described the award as a means of “encouragement and a way to inspire the players of the Nigerian league to strive to put in their best in the game.”
The recipient, Jude Ulochukwu Aneke, thanked the senator for the award and kind gesture.
He said: “Though you promised me the naira equivalent of 1000USD, you have surprised me today with a N200,000 cash prize. I feel very honoured and appreciated.”
The Belgian handler of the Warri Wolves Striker, Morris Cooreman, described the senator’s gesture as the first of its kind in Nigeria.
He commended the senator, saying his commitment and love for the game needs to be replicated and copied by others to ensure the improvement of the Nigerian local league.
Also at the event, he unveiled the logo and the mascot of the Senator Ayo Adeseun Champions Cup for public secondary schools within his senatorial district and those of the three local governments in Ogbomosho zone.
Speaking about the purpose of the competition, Adeseun noted that “the competition is aimed at taking the sports back to its elementary base where young talents can be discovered. By catching them young, we will able to build world class footballers from the younger population and in the long run help the improvement of the game in Nigeria.”
Fielding questions from journalists at the end of the event, Adeseun announced that his award presentation for outstanding performances in the Nigerian Premier League will be a continual thing, adding: “By next season, I will also present an award to any player in our local league that is able to put up an excellent performance just as Jude (Aneke) as done; and it is going to be a continual thing.”