It was a day to reward patriotism, commitment, and dedication to one’s state when the 100 athletes, their coaches, and parents of the Team Ekiti National Youth Games Representatives all converged on the office of the Ekiti State governor, Mr Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO) to collect their financial rewards.
The Conference Hall of the Governor’s office was filled with excitement as all in attendance eagerly awaited the financial impetus courtesy of the governor while the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Community Communication, Mrs. Mary Omotosho, and the Commissioner For Your Development, Mr. Gold Adebayo were on hand to deliver the governor’s message to them all.
Well-prepared envelopes with the name of each athlete of the 100 athletes and their coaches were carefully arranged and the names of every one were called one after the other for the collection of the token reward as appreciation from the government for their loyalty and love for the State.
According to the Governor’s aide, all the athletes whose best were not enough to win medals for Ekiti State went back home with 25k each while every bronze medalist went back home with 50k just as silver medalists were rewarded with 75k each and the gold medalists smiled home with 100k each.
All the coaches whose Sports featured at the National Youth Games 2023 for Ekiti State got rewarded with 50k each while sports secretaries, medicals, and other personnel who were all at ASABA 2023 NYG are not to be exempted from the largesse.
The greatest beneficiary of the day was SSS 3 student, Mustapha Abdulrahman who won a gold, a silver, and a bronze medal in golf at the National Youth Games for Ekiti State as he got 3 envelopes containing 100k, 75k, and 50k each.
Aina Goodnews who won a silver and a bronze medal also got double envelopes containing 75k and 50k for her feat.
All the 15 Baseball players who won a bronze medal for Ekiti State also went home with a sun of 50k each.
The Commissioner for Youth, Mr. Gold Adebayo who handed over the envelopes to each of the beneficiaries thanked them on behalf of the State government with an assurance that the governor’s commitment to the development of the Youths which carries the larger percentage of Ekiti State population remain sacrosanct in the agenda of the government.
He congratulated all beneficiaries and urged them to always strive to do the State proud through their chosen sports career.
Mr Adebayo said the governor’s sports development vision had led to the signing of the Sprouts Commission Bill into Law, the promise to construct a modern Indoor Sports Hall as well as other morale-boosting sports initiatives.
On her path, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Community Communication, Mrs. Mary Omotosho said the prompt fulfillment of Governor Oyebanji’s promise to the young sportsmen and women was clear evidence that the governor held the welfare of every Ekiti person both old and young in high esteem.
She noted that the governor placed a premium on people-oriented initiatives, programs, and policies, hence Ekiti people at home and abroad should continue to pray for him and his government.
She assured that Governor Oyebanji will not renege on his promises to the people, rather he will ensure fulfillment even ahead of time.
Appreciating the governor’s gesture on behalf of the athletes and coaches, Ekiti State Handball Coach who adopted the Commissioner for Youth, Mr. Gold Adebayo as the Patron of the State Handball Association described Governor Oyebanji as a jinx breaker who had become the first governor of the State to do so many things in the area of Sports.
Coach Kay recalled that Governor Oyebanji was the first governor to personally receive the State Youth Team and was the first to give the State contingent a speedy reception adding that no other governor in the State prior to the present governor had ever given all the athletes and their coaches who did not win any medal cash rewards.
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While noting that Governor Oyebanji had surpassed the expectations of Ekiti Sports people, he promised that all the coaches and the athletes would forthwith double their efforts at making the State proud at future sporting events.
He also added that the governor’s rare gesture would attract the athletes from Ekiti State who had been poached by other states to come back home to represent their motherland in Sports.
Parents of the athletes who were also glad to be part of the event were full of applause to the governor saying his unprecedented passion for sports had encouraged them to allow their children and wards to forge ahead with their training programs.
The parents said Governor Oyebanji’s leadership style was enviable and had brightened the hope of every Ekiti person towards a greater Ekiti State.
