Nigeria Judo Needs Unity Among Stakeholders To Thrive, Says Secretary

IKPO IGBINOBA

One of the major factors hindering the progress of judo in the country is the division among the stakeholders.

This was the submission of the secretary of the Nigeria Judo Federation, NJF, Mrs. Monica Otumola while fielding questions from P.M. EXPRESS in Lagos on Tuesday.

She noted “Until the division is addressed and members of the judo community learn to be one, the country may not achieve her full potential.

According to her “Nigeria has the materials to achieve great heights in judo but the missing link is the unity among the stakeholders”.

The secretary who was speaking upon her return from Senegal where she led the country’s contingent to the Africa Championship appealed to stakeholders to close ranks and key into the vision of the Sports Ministry to take judo to greater heights.

She revealed “The Ministry of Youth and Sports is aware of the importance of judo and has put the structures in place for the sport to flourish.

“Once the stakeholders close ranks and come together, Nigeria will take her rightful place among the comity of nations.”

She reiterated “Our country is blessed with abundant materials and talents in the sport and they will go places”.

The secretary who made her name as a handball player in the mid ’80s described judo as one of the greatest sports in the world.

According to her “Judo is not like other sports. It’s a very special sport which teaches confidence, discipline, humility, etiquette, and how to adapt to any situation. In short, judo is a way of life”.

She noted that because of the importance of judo in human development, the United Nations Children’s Education Fund, UNICEF adopted the sport.

“For UNICEF to adopt judo and advise parents to expose their children to the sport means there’s something special about the sport.”,the secretary added.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian judokas who attended the Africa Judo Championship performed below expectation.

Nigeria entered three judokas for the continental spectacle.

They were Edwin Patrick fighting at -66kg for men, Enku Ekuta-63kg and Asonye Oluchi,-78kg both women.

While both women finished fifth in their different weight categories, Edwin lost out in the first fight.

He was penalised for refusing to attack.