The Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development in Abia State, Nwaobilor Ananaba, says the medals donated for the ongoing State Secondary School Unity Games will be named after the late Olympian boxer, Obisie Nwankpa.
Mr Ananaba disclosed this during a state burial organised by the Abia State Government for the late legendary Abia-born boxer on Friday.
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He said that his commitment to excellence and achievements informed the decision to honour the deceased.
He said that through the initiative, his name would live on in Abia schools, the sports development system, and in the dreams of young people who believed in excellence.
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According to him, the late Nwankpa belonged to the generation that defined sports in Nigeria.
Mr Ananaba, represented by Raymond Ukwa, an aide to Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, prayed God to grant the family of the deceased the fortitude to bear his demise.
“Today, we gather as a state united in gratitude and a solemn reflection to honour the life and legacy of one of Abia’s most illustrious sons, the late Obisie Nwankpa, who was fondly called ‘the Golden Gloves’.
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“Obisie belonged to the generation that defined sports in Nigeria and they did so through discipline, sacrifice and uncommon patriotism.
“And all through his sporting and boxing career, he represented Nigeria and Abia at the height of sports excellence.
“He didn’t just represent the state, he represented the hopes of the people and, of course, the resilience of the country.
“He invested his time and resources and personal influence into the lives of young people, young athletes, opening doors and creating opportunities that could not have been easily accessed.
“So, today, we bid him farewell and, on behalf of the government and people of Abia, I say with clarity and gratitude, Abia remembers Obisie Nwankpa.”
In a remark, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Cyril Nwaigwe, said Nwankpa’s death had created a vacuum difficult to fill in the field of sports and in his family.
Additionally, Obioma George, the Abia State director of sports, stated that Nwankpa chose boxing as a profession and excelled in it.
Mr George said that late Nwankpa won 23 of his 29 fights as a boxer, adding that 16 of them were knockouts.
He said, “Our brother lying down here today started boxing from the amateur level and made it to the professional level.
“Nwankpa got a gold medal in the All-African Games as far back as 1973 in Lagos.
“He also got a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games and was a light welterweight boxer.
“He was in the Munich Olympics of 1972.”
Mr George described the deceased as “a warrior, a fighter and a talented boxer”.
In a homily at the burial ceremony, Stanley Adindu, a cleric, said that everyone is assigned a role and time to fulfil it.
Mr Adindu said that it was pertinent for one to identify and accomplish one’s assignment within the allotted time frame.
Nwankpa’s widow, children speak about his life
In an interview with reporters, the first daughter of the deceased, Victoria Ngozi, described her father as kind, generous, loving, and accommodating.
“He was one man who didn’t like cheating; he didn’t like anybody to be cheated, and he took everybody as his own.
“Whenever you see daddy fighting, you see him getting angry because he felt like somebody was being cheated. So, my daddy was a kind man,” Mrs Ngozi said.
Also, Nwankpa’s widow, Franca, described her late husband as very caring to her and their children.
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“He would never sleep until his children had all slept, and at midnight, he would wake up to check on them.
“And whenever he got angry with his children, he wouldn’t hesitate to correct them with love,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Nwankpa, who died on 3 June at 75, was buried in his Okpulukwu, Umuosu-Nsulu country home, in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia.
Top government functionaries, members of the Nigerian Olympians Association, and other dignitaries were present at the burial ceremony.
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