By Danjuma Attah, Gombe
A renowned sports promoter and youth mentor, Alhaji Farouk Yarma, has honoured spots achievers from Gombe State with outstanding awards for lifting the State’s name in the Sporting arena.
Recipients of the award included the sole Gombe athlete at the 2024 National Youth Games in Asaba, Delta State, 13 Year old Munyal Kwairanga, who raved the sports events by clinching three gold medals in gymnastics.
Munyal was selected by the organisers and honoured among outstanding football players and administrators in the State for making Gombe proud during the national event.
Yarma, the CEO of Prudential Sports Limited, organisers of the maiden Prudential Sports Football Awards (2023/2024 season), said he hopes to make the award recognition an annual event to motivate the recipients and other sports men and women aspire for greatness in Sports.
A former Commissioner for youths and pioneer Chairman of the Gombe State Sports Commission, Farouk Yarma, also the CEO of Yarma Light FC Gombe, explained that there are abundant football talents in the State that can play in the highest competition in the world and that the aim of the award is to promote excellence and engender the growth of football and other sports in the state.
The award event which was held at the magnificent event hall of Matrix International School Gombe, had former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Honourable Sani Ahmed Toro, as chairman of the occasion.
Toro commended the organisers for recognising and conferring prestigious awards on football talents in the state and called on both Bauchi and Gombe State Governments to set up football academies that would identify young talents and create opportunities for them to discover their potentials and excel at National and International competitions.
High point of the award ceremony was the presentation of the player of the year award to Jabir Hassan of Mailantarki FC who also bagged the Rising Star award.
NPFL referees Buhari Bawa Pitani, took home the Golden Whistle Award while Haruna Isa Kalshingi was named Referee of the year.
In the Media category, Mr Mark Nuhu Malele bagged the Journalist of the year award (conventional media) while Mohammed Angazi, bagged the Journalist of the year award (Social media).
Chairman of Gombe Local Government Council, Sani Ahmed Haruna, who announced a N500,000 cash reward to young Munyal, and N100,000 cash prize to each of the other recipients of the awards, expressed happiness over the event which brought together people of the State from different political backgrounds.
