Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Guardian Nigeria
Published on 2024-02-06 03:20:25
Isaac Osaikhiwe Isaac has been re-elected as the president of the Tug-of-War Federation for another term. The announcement was made at the eighth yearly meeting of the federation, which took place at the conference room of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), National Stadium in Lagos. The federation also elected other members of the board, including Bashir Abubakar, who was elected as vice president.
During his acceptance speech, Osaikhiwe expressed his gratitude to the delegates for their trust and confidence in his executive and pledged to work even harder to make the sport a rallying point for talent discovery. He also recounted some of the accomplishments during his first tenure, highlighting the inauguration of new associations in various states across the country. The new associations were formed in FCT Abuja, Bayelsa, Kano, Kebbi, Kwara, and other states. He emphasized that the current executive would focus on positioning the sport as a scoring event at the National Sports Festival and participating in international events. Efforts were also being made to introduce the sport to schools in pursuit of the federation’s grassroots agenda.
The AGM was declared open by the NOC’s Secretary-General, Babatunde Popoola, alongside the Public Relations Officer, Tony Nezianya. Other members of the new executive committee of the federation include Rear Admiral Etop Ebe (second vice president), Babatoba Samuel (technical director), Shola Ogundele (treasurer), Jude Iduh (national coach), Tombiri James (assistant national coach), and Raymond Akparuere (PRO). Also in the new board are Ibrahim Umah, Jennifer Udeh, Daniel Ohioma, and Musa Abdullahi, while Abdulkareem A. Macaulay was returned as the Sec. Gen/ International Representative.
During the opening of the AGM, Popoola commended the board for the peace and discipline that have existed in the Tug-of-War Federation, making it attractive to the armed forces and paramilitary bodies. He urged them to continue their efforts to ensure that the sport is spread all over the country with democratic principles. Popoola also reminded them of the challenges associated with sports management and expressed confidence in their ability to overcome these challenges.
The re-election of Isaac Osaikhiwe Isaac as president of the Tug-of-War Federation and the subsequent formation of the new executive committee signals the commitment of the federation to further development and promotion of the sport. The agenda for the new term includes expanding the sport to more states, making it a scoring event at the National Sports Festival, and participating in international competitions. The dedication of the elected members is expected to bring about positive changes and growth within the federation.
