NAN-S-21
Award
By Sunday John
Lafia, May 12, 2017 (NAN) The Karate Federation of Nigeria (KFN) has awarded Silas Agara, the Nasarawa State Deputy Governor, its Honorary Degree in Karate.
Sadiq Bolaji, Chairman of KFN, while speaking at the 2017 Invitational Karate Championship in Lafia on Friday, said Agara was chosen due to his support to the country’s sports development.
He said the karate game in Nasarawa State and the country at large had been long negleted but due to Agara’s support they had been able to hold the invitational.
“The Deputy Governor has done a lot to ensure that all kinds of sports are given the proper support so as to ensure that both the atheletes and coaches excel to the national level.
“Such kind of person needs to be given high responsibility to oversee sports at the national level because of his passion for the game,” Bolaji said.
On his part, Agara urged participants at the competition to obey the rules governing the game and avoid drugs they thought could enhance their performances.
“Taking any enhancing substance will affect the game negatively, affect the objectives of the competition and deny the athletes the opportunity of excelling,” he said.
The deputy governor urged all the participating teams to exhibit maturity and compete favorably without any acrimony as they are representing their various states.
He advised the participants to take advantage to excel, adding that “if the athletes do it in line with the rules, the sky will be their beginning’’.
Agara said the competition would serve as a platform to discover new talents and would go a long way towards sports development.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that athletes from the FCT and all the six states in the North Central Zone, as well as Kaduna State, participated in the competion.
NAN also reports that athletes from Nasarawa State came first in the competition with seven gold, eight silver and seven bronze medals.
FCT athletes placed second with six gold, two silver and six bronze medals, while Plateau athletes were third with one silver and three bronze medals.
Benue athletes were placed last with no medal.(NAN)
SDJ/OLAL
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)