National Award: President Jonathan Honours Okagbare, 38 Others

2014 Commonwealth Games double gold medalist, Blessing Okagbare and her compatriots who made the nation proud in Glasgow will today be honoured with national awards by President Goodluck Jonathan at the Aso Rock Villa.

Nigerian sportsmen and women gave the country reason to cheer at the Glasgow Games when they finished in eighth position, winning 11 gold, 11 silver and 14 bronze medals,surpassing their former outing in New Delhi, India.

 

Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare celebrates winning the women’s 100m athletics event at Hampden Park during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland on July 28, 2014.

Similarly, members of the national U-17 and a few of the Women U-20 team and their coaches will be honoured by President Goodluck Jonathan tonight. But the man whose NFF regime produced some of the best results in the nation’s football history, Alhaji Aminu Maigari will be conspicuously missing from the podium.

The former President of the NFF Maigari has been denied the privilege of receiving the  National award which he so much craved for.

It was reported long before now that Maigari had been lined up for the award by President Goodluck Jonathan which informed why they appealed that the impeachment carried out on him be dropped so as not to stain his record.

But investigations have revealed that the Presidency made a U-turn when they noticed that Maigari was more consumed by his desire to remain in NFF than keeping to the agreement reached with him when they met at the Secretary to the Government of Federation’s office.

The Minister of Sports and chairman, National Sports Commission, Dr Tammy Danagogo had expressed disappointment with the former NFF president when he declared the August 26 Congress open. He blasted Maigari for not being gentlemanly enough, stressing that he flouted every agreement reached with him.

While Maigari’s name was missing, several Nigerian sports men and women found their names on the list. And, among those penciled for the award are, Peters Dedebvo who led the Nations U-20 women team to the final of the last FIFA Women world cup in Canada, Manu Garba, who led the Nations U-17 team to win the last U-17 FIFA World Cup in Dubia and several other Nigerians who have done well in recent times.