The Nigeria Football Federation has praised the presence and activities of the Nigerian Ambassador to Senegal and Mauritania, Katyen Jackden; the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, Christian Ohaa; and the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Alhassan Yakmut, in Dakar on Saturday for the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations final between Nigeria and Algeria.
The 1st Vice President of the NFF, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi, lauded the trio for the efforts they put into motivating the Nigeria U-23 squad, the Dream Team VI, ahead of the final match.
Akinwunmi said: “Surely, the players and officials deserve commendation. But the NFF wants to give kudos to the Ambassador of Nigeria to Senegal, Mrs Katyen Jackden (with concurrent accreditation to Mauritania), as well as the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr. Christian Ohaa and the Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Alhassan Saleh Yakmut.
“These three persons did much to inspire the players. They came with excellent words of motivation and the boys had no choice but to go out and perform at optimal level.”
Akinwunmi, who alongside Ambassador Jackden also lifted the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in the same country in March this year, specially commended Ohaa.
He said: “Mr. Ohaa was attending his first sporting assignment, yet he was brilliant and did very well to inspire the players. As for the Director-General, he is a sportsman and administrator through and through and it showed in his body language as he charged the boys to action.”
The U-23 boys defeated their Algerian counterparts 2-1 in Saturday’s final to make it four trophies in 14 months for the Amaju Pinnick administration.
It is also the first time that Nigeria is reigning champions of Africa at U-20 and U-23 boys’ categories as well as senior women and also champions of the world at U-17 boys’ level.