President Bola Tinubu says he is committed to bolstering horse racing in Nigeria for the nation to be at par with her contemporaries globally.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Tinubu gave the commitment at the finals of the ‘2025 International Renewed Hope Horse Racing Competition’ held at Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar 111, International Race Course, Bida, Niger on Saturday.
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NAN also reports that the international Horse Racing Tournament tagged: Sahel Savannah Stakes Series Bida 2025, was organised by the Horse Racing Federation of Nigeria (HFN).
Mr Tinubu was represented by the Chairman, National Sport Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko.
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The president vowed to liaise with all the critical stakeholders in horse racing to take the sports to greater heights.
Mr Tinubu further said that the federal government would do the needful to improve horse racing and other sporting activities in the country.
“We will support all initiatives in this direction as part of my Renewed Hope Agenda.
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“Horse racing will generate more employment and and it’s the number one unifier and peace builder in Nigeria.
“We will bring renewed hope to the doorstep of every Nigerian and I am keen to make all sports thrive in Nigeria,” the president promised.
The Etsu Nupe and Life President of the federation, Yahaya Abubakar, said it was founded in 2019 with the aim of creating a national platform to regulate horse racing activities across the country.
According to the Etsu Nupe, the federation was dedicated to promoting national unity and prosperity by bringing from various regions through a shared passion for equestrian activities.
The Etsu Nupe noted that efforts will be intensified to strengthen the cultural norms and values of the people through sports
According to Mr Abubakar, this has become necessary to prevent culture and traditions from going into extinction.
“The race, which is traditional in nature, further provided an opportunity for the display of culture and various cultural activities” the royal father said.
Also speaking, the National Coordinator, Horse Racing Federation of Nigeria, Abubakar Mustapha-Bida, Sarkin Dawaki Nupe, extolled Mr Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to boosting horse racing in Nigeria.
According to him, the president has consistently recognised horse racing as part of efforts to ramp up the unity and socioeconomic prosperity of the nation.
While acknowledging the successes of the tournament, Mr Mustapha-Bida also commended the Etsu Nupe for sustaining the event for 12 consecutive years.
Mr Mustapha-Bida, who is also the chairman, New Niger Development Projects, stated that no fewer than 500 participants featured in the epochal event from across the Sahel Savannah countries.
The national coordinator explained that Nigerian was taking a lead in horse racing in the comity of nations in Africa, adding: “we are happy to be part of history and to have pushed to ensure that this has become a reality.
“We have five countries that participated in the event. They are Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.
“They are our international partners during racing events in Nigeria.”
NAN further reports that Mr Tinubu’s ‘Hope Renewed Horse’ has maintained her winning streak to clinch the first position as the fastest horse for the fourth time.
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NAN also reports that six Toyota vehicles and N50,000 were presented to the first position winners of various categories of race.
Also, the second position winners got N700,000 each while the third and fourth position winners received N500,000 and N350,000, respectively.
(NAN)
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