Nigerian athletes gathered at the Eagle Square in Abuja, rallying support for Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election for a second term.
The Saturday’s solidarity rally
attracted crowds of retired and serving sportsmen and women, as well as
sports administrators, NAN reports. The rally was preceded by physical
exercises, such as stretching, jogging, and light aerobics.
The crowd of athletes was led by former Super Eagles’ captains, Nwankwo Kanu and Joseph Yobo.
Many athletes who spoke at the event said President Jonathan love for music prompted their support.
The former African “sprint queen” Mary Onyali-Omagbemi said the empowerment of Nigerian athletes by the present administration had brought back the lost glory of Nigerian sports:
“We don’t want you to go now because you have started a race like I did as a sprinter,” she said. “I sprinted and finished my race to get the two bronze medals I won in five Olympics which I participated in. I never stopped halfway. If I had stopped halfway, I wouldn’t have gotten the medals. So, President Jonathan, you cannot stop now. We want you to keep running and finish the race.”
Onyali-Omagbemi
said Jonathan’s youth development programmes would never go unnoticed
in spite of the opposition’s attempts to mar his efforts. Olympic taekwondo medallist Chika Chukwumerije
believes that Jonathan’s re-election will guarantee Nigeria’s
participation at the 2015 All-Africa Games and the 2016 Olympic Games in
Rio, Brazil.
“If there is a change of government now, what will happen to the All-Africa Games coming up in six months’ time and the Olympics coming up next year?” he asked. “We didn’t qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nation but we qualified for the next edition and won it. Because we didn’t win any medal at the London 2012 Olympics and Jonathan has urged us to go and win at Rio 2016, I am sure we will win medals. It will happen exactly the way it happened with the Super Eagles who won the 2013 AFCON after they failed to qualify for the previous edition.”
Samuel Ekeoma, technical director, Nigeria Para-powerlifting Federation, said the living conditions for disabled persons in Nigeria have changed for the better since Jonathan took over.
“Our world has been turned around since Jonathan became the President of Nigeria. You are the only President that has brought the disabled persons to the Presidential Villa,” he said.
He said Nigerian para-lifters have become the best in the whole world because of the commitment of the present administration to sports development in the country.
Sports Minister Tammy Danagogo noted that “the visionless ‘change’ the opposition is clamouring for will not be able to achieve a quarter of what President Jonathan has achieved in sports.”
He urged sportsmen and women to rally round Jonathan’s re-election bid for him to continue with his transformation agenda in sports for the progress of the youths.
The Senate President David Mark and Nigerian Vice President Namadi Sambo urged the youths to “ensure Jonathan’s re-election, so as not to surrender your future to a septuagenarian.”
Nigerian athletes gathered at the Eagle Square in Abuja, rallying support for Goodlusck Jonathan’s re-election for a second term
The crowd of athletes was led by former Super Eagles’ captains, Nwankwo Kanu and Joseph Yobo.
Many athletes who spoke at the event said President Jonathan love for music prompted their support.
The former African “sprint queen” Mary Onyali-Omagbemi said the empowerment of Nigerian athletes by the present administration had brought back the lost glory of Nigerian sports:
“We don’t want you to go now because you have started a race like I did as a sprinter,” she said. “I sprinted and finished my race to get the two bronze medals I won in five Olympics which I participated in. I never stopped halfway. If I had stopped halfway, I wouldn’t have gotten the medals. So, President Jonathan, you cannot stop now. We want you to keep running and finish the race.”
“If there is a change of government now, what will happen to the All-Africa Games coming up in six months’ time and the Olympics coming up next year?” he asked. “We didn’t qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nation but we qualified for the next edition and won it. Because we didn’t win any medal at the London 2012 Olympics and Jonathan has urged us to go and win at Rio 2016, I am sure we will win medals. It will happen exactly the way it happened with the Super Eagles who won the 2013 AFCON after they failed to qualify for the previous edition.”
Samuel Ekeoma, technical director, Nigeria Para-powerlifting Federation, said the living conditions for disabled persons in Nigeria have changed for the better since Jonathan took over.
“Our world has been turned around since Jonathan became the President of Nigeria. You are the only President that has brought the disabled persons to the Presidential Villa,” he said.
He said Nigerian para-lifters have become the best in the whole world because of the commitment of the present administration to sports development in the country.
Sports Minister Tammy Danagogo noted that “the visionless ‘change’ the opposition is clamouring for will not be able to achieve a quarter of what President Jonathan has achieved in sports.”
He urged sportsmen and women to rally round Jonathan’s re-election bid for him to continue with his transformation agenda in sports for the progress of the youths.
The Senate President David Mark and Nigerian Vice President Namadi Sambo urged the youths to “ensure Jonathan’s re-election, so as not to surrender your future to a septuagenarian.”
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