Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia, on Thursday hosted international football star, Francesca Ordega, who is from the state and gifted her N50 million and three-bedrooms apartment in Makurdi metropolis.

Presenting the gifts during the dinner in Makurdi, Mr Alia described Ms Ordega as the greatest sports ambassador the state had produced in recent times.

Ms Ordega is among the Nigeria team that won the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) hosted by Morocco.

The Gboko-born international footballer has won the competition for a record five times with the national team.

Mr Alia also promised to rename a major street after her.

The governor also gifted N10 million to the coach who nurtured Ms Ordega in Benue to become an international footballer.

He congratulated her for the outstanding performance she displayed during the competition and encouraged talented young girls to emulate her resilience.

The governor said, “Today we are singing the nation’s common song of victory with one of us. With the one whom God has chosen and elected to represent us. The one who has been the great ambassador of this state in sports in the last five victories of the WAFCON.

“She is truly an inspiration to everyone. She is an inspiration to all the young ladies coming up to play. I invite parents to allow your daughters to get into the field. Here is a great shining example of once you allow them, guide them and they are coached tomorrow we shall all go to the national and come back to the state to celebrate them. I want all of us to encourage our young ladies to do sports.’’

In her remarks, Ms Ordega expressed gratitude for the support from the state and Nigeria and called on stakeholders to collaborate in sports development and infrastructure.

Ms Ordega also urged the state to support grassroot sports development to harness the next generation of champions in the country.

She stated, “Let us support sports development. Let us invest in sports infrastructure, training programmes and talent identification initiatives by providing our young athletes with resources they need. We can actually harness the next generation of champions and promote education. Education is the foundation of any prosperous society. We can create scholarship programmes for young girls who excel in sports direct by ensuring that they have access to quality education while pursuing their dreams.’’

Ms Ordega further urged Benue youths to embrace peace, and love for one another and support the governor to succeed.

Also, the Technical Adviser to the Governor on Entertainment and Community Outreach, Mr Innocent Idibia aka TuFace, commended the governor for supporting entertainment and sports.

Mr Idibia also used the opportunity to announce the upcoming Benue wild talent hunt show with N50 million star prize.

He said that his office was also working hard to organise interstate carnival.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Football Federation also presented a special award to the governor in appreciation of his support for Nigerian football.

(NAN)