The President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Honourable Daniel Igali, has praised the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Chris Musa, and the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service (CG), Adewale Adeniyi MFR, for sponsoring Nigerian officials to attend United World Wrestling (UWW) courses in South Africa.
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Hon. Igali, in a statement, acknowledged the financial and moral support of the CDS and CG, which facilitated Lt. Colonel Timipre Okou (PhD) and Happiness Burutu’s certification in several advanced UWW training programmes.
These include courses on sports administration, safeguarding, beach wrestling coaching and refereeing, Olympic-level refereeing, and youth athlete training camps.
Happiness Burutu, assistant coach of Nigeria’s female wrestling team, achieved a Level 3 coaching certification, enhancing her ability to mentor athletes and budding coaches effectively. Lt. Colonel Timipre Okou also completed multiple certifications that align with global wrestling standards, further contributing to technical growth in Nigeria’s wrestling landscape.
Hon. Igali described the support as “heartwarming and motivating,” highlighting how it aligns with NWF’s mission to develop technical capacity among coaches and officials.
“This gesture will inspire other coaches and officials to focus on self-improvement, thus obtaining excellent results,” he said.
He added:
“Big congratulations to Lt. Colonel Okou and Happiness Burutu for obtaining such prestigious certificates. This will no doubt improve our sport, particularly the technical aspect, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of the Chief of Defence Staff and the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs.
On behalf of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, I appreciate their efforts, which will inspire future generations of coaches and athletes.”
Lt. Colonel Timipre Okou, Africa’s representative at the World International Military Sports Council Wrestling Committee, used the South African training opportunity to announce developmental plans for African wrestling.
These include the deployment of three UWW-certified Iranian coaches to Tanzania next month to train both military and civilian athletes.
Hon. Igali also extended gratitude to the UWW for its grants and continuous support for the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, emphasizing the importance of such partnerships in driving progress in the sport.
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