African Games: Sports minister charges Falconets to defend crown
The Minister of Sports Development, John Owan Enoh, has charged Nigeria’s U20 female national team, Falconets, to defend the crown they won four years ago against Ghana.
A statement on Wednesday said Mr Enoh gave the charge when he visited Team Nigeria at the ongoing African Games in Accra, Ghana, on Tuesday.
Mr Enoh urged the Falconets to defeat the Black Princesses of Ghana to qualify them for the FIFA Women’s U20 World Cup in Colombia.
“It matters for me to visit you all. It matters to our President and all Nigerians that you’ve come this far. The goal is to win the gold medal on Thursday.
“It is an important gold for you and for the country,“ the minister said.
Mr Enoh reminded the Falconets of their responsibility to uphold their legacy.
“Four years ago, we won gold in women’s football in Morocco, so you all have the responsibility to defend that title and return to Nigeria with the gold medal,” he said.
Coach Christopher Danjuma lauded the minister for his support, assuring that the team would spare no effort in making Nigerians proud.
“We appreciate the minister for supporting the team, and we promise to go the extra mile to achieve success,” Mr Danjuma said.
The team’s captain, Oluchi Ohaegbulam, said the squad would pursue the gold medal.
“It is a privilege for us to represent the country, and we promise to work hard and give one last push towards the gold,” the captain said.
(NAN)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Diaspora
Unemployment hits Nigerian students, others hard in Canada
Migrants trooped to Canada en masse after the nation opened employment pathways and immigration opportunities to international students.
Anti-Corruption
Don’t disgrace ex-governors; come out of hiding, face EFCC, Ortom tells Bello
‘‘You don’t need to resist arrest or anything. Go there and respond.’’
Sport
Invictus Games: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle to visit Nigeria May
Prince Harry, an ex-military helicopter pilot, initiated the show in 2014 for servicemen and women in the Commonwealth.
NationWide
Car washers, block makers, others groan as Sokoto water board cuts supply for commercial purposes
The vendors complained that they fetched water from long distances
Health
Health insurance enrollees seek improved services, decry cumbersome process
Subscribers/enrollees complained of nonchalant treatment by accredited hospitals.
Faith
Catholic priest seeks end to practice making widows swear on husbands’ corpses
‘‘The church does not oppose culture, but seeks to integrate the beautiful aspects of African culture.’’