By Nudoiba Ojen
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has said that two-time former world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, will light the Gateway Games National Sports Festival torch in May next year.
Abiodun also announced plans by his administration to construct a brand new Anthony Joshua Indoor Boxing Ring in the state.
The governor made these known on Monday when he hosted the two-time world heavyweight boxing champion in his office in Abeokuta.
He said, “I want to openly request that, besides the fact that today we are going to officially confirm you as our sports ambassador, we want to request that you come back to light up the Gateway Sports Festival torch; you will be the one lighting it up.
“We are going to construct a brand new Anthony Joshua Indoor Boxing Ring and that boxing ring will be in a stadium here in Abeokuta to ensure that you come home more frequently. Besides the fact that you are now our official sports ambassador, we have decided that we will give you a brand new house in Sagamu,” he said.
The Governor urged Anthony Joshua, “We want to plead that you also find ways to support us back home. We believe that we should have tournaments planned leading to the sports festival, and you were expressing how you will participate and what you can do to mentor.
“We leave you to work with our Director General of the National Sports Commission and the Commissioner for Sports Development on what we can do to ensure that we have activities leading to the sports festival in your boxing arena.
“Proudly, we bid for the National Sports Festival for this year, and we won that bid. The festival was supposed to be in January; however, for some technical reasons, it’s been postponed to sometime in May.
“In preparation for the sports festival, we are spending a lot of money; we are totally refurbishing, rehabilitating and reconstructing our sporting facilities. As you know, sports is a universal language; it brings people from different parts of the world together,” he said.
Abiodun noted that the state is blessed with many talents spread across music, arts, and sports who are doing very well and, at the same time, placing the state on the world map.
He added that the state is extremely proud of the achievements of Anthony Joshua on the world stage, saying that his administration would support his career in every way it can.
“Your coming back home will be a source of motivation and inspiration for many young men who are aspiring sportsmen, and we have quite a lot of them in Ogun State.
“I want to congratulate you on what you have achieved in such a short span of time. You’ve made a short story of your life and your career.
“Whatever we can do to encourage you to continue to win more laurels for yourself, your family, for the state and Nigeria, be assured that we will be more than happy to do that. We watch your career grow, and we are going to support your career in every way we can,” he said.
Earlier in his remarks, Anthony Joshua noted that he would work towards promoting Ogun State to the rest of the world by showcasing the numerous talents in the state.
