The Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has commended FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria for its partnership with the ministry to develop sports in Nigeria.
Dalung, while unveiling the renovated power gymnasium at the National Stadium in Lagos on Friday, said the partnership was essential for the growth of sports in Nigeria.
Dalung said: “Sports has a robust partnership with WAMCO Nigeria, makers of Peak Milk, and it has sincerely changed and reconfigured the fortunes of sports in Nigeria.
“We cannot thank FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria enough for this partnership. We were approached by WAMCO to improve our Paralympians and we welcomed this initiative. We opened our gates to accommodate their contribution which is today a complete project.”
Dalung urged multi-nationals and other investors in the country to emulate the good move by FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria and invest in sports development.
Speaking also, Ben Lagat, the Managing Director of FreislandWAMCO Nigeria, said his organisation chose to identify with the Paralympians, because of the honour they have brought to the country.
Lagat said he was gladdened by the good strides Paralympians had taken in winning medals at international events, adding that the renovated gymnasium was to encourage them to do more.
“These set of athletes have really made this country proud and we deemed it necessary to support them, because other organisations are not recognising them. What we are doing is to partner with sports development and to further encourage them to do more, and to assure them that we are behind them.
“We are challenging other investors in the country, who are not doing anything to improve the future of Nigeria sports, to invest in sports,’’ he said.
A number of sports stakeholders said it would make them strive to top the medals table at the Commonwealth Games holding in Gold Coast, Australia from April 4 to April 15.
The Head Coach of Nigeria Para-Powerlifting Federation (NPPF), Are Feyisetan, assured that the renovation of the National Stadium power gymnasium would help the athletes to perform better.
“We are going to make the nation proud as usual at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. Although, we have been winning before, but Nigerians have not seen anything yet.
“We are better equipped now and our training will take a different shape with the renovation of the gymnasium and with the world-class equipment which has been made possible by the Peak Milk Company,” he said.
It was gathered that FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria renovated and equipped the powerlifting gymnasium with the approval of the Sports Ministry.
