By Danjuma Attah, Gombe
Nigerian Sprint legend, Mary Onyali, was among high profile sports personalities who inspired young athletes in Gombe to pursue their chosen sports with discipline, determination and dedication.
According to the Olympic medalist, during a panel of discussion session at the second edition of the Prudential Sports Award, held in Gombe over the weekend, Onyali encouraged the youths to focus on their God given talent to make a name for themselves, communities and the country as a whole.
She also advised them against mismanaging the good will gained and resources acquired during their hay days but to invest such for the sake of the rainy day.
Sports personalities who graced and made the event colourful were the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko (represented by his Personal Assistant); Sports Commentator/administrator, Godwin Enakhena; and arenowned Sports Journalist, Toyin Ebitoye.
Others present were, Alhassan Yakmut, who served as the Chairman of the occasion; immediate past Governor of Gombe State who is also the President of the Chess Federation of Nigeria, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo among many other very important personalities.
During the well attended event, first of its kind in the Northeast region, Prudential Sports Limited, in its humanitarian and promotional characteristics, announced the enrollment of 1,000 retired athletes and their dependents at a cost of N10,000,000; enrollment of 100 active athletes into a contributory pension scheme with Premium Pension Limited ass well as a support of N2,000,000 to the Gombe State Football Association for the registration of clubs in the State League Division 1 and 2.
Rolling out the intervention, the Chief Executive Officer of Prudential Sports Limited, Malam Farouk Yarma, in collaboration with the Gombe State Ministry of Education, presented a donation of sports equipment to 15 selected public and private schools. The kits included footballs, basketballs, volleyballs, handballs, chessboards, scrambled boards, and football nets.
Gombe State University was supported with similar sports equipment and two sets of customized football jerseys to promote sports development in the university.
For the award presentation, Senator Ibrahim and Hassan Dankwambo, President of the Chess Federation of Nigeria, presented the 2025 Prudential Sports Award for Overall Best Athlete in Gombe State to Mercy Iliya. He also pledged to sponsor her trip to Zimbabwe to join the Nigerian national team players for the championship.
Other recipients of the 2025 Prudential Sports Award were:
Overall Best Athlete of the Year – Mercy Iliya Namarwa (Gombe State Chess Association); Young Athlete of the Season – Abdulrahman Mahmoud Baba (Doma United) and Haruna Saleh (Gombe Bulls Basketball Club) who bagged the Chindo Abubakar award for the Most Improved Player.
The award for the Player with Most Appearances went to Atiku Baitu (FC Yarmalight); Referee of the Year – Bawa Buhari; Sports Journalist of the Year – Williams Attah (Daily Independent Newspapers); while the Senator Haruna Garba Fair Play Award went to All Stars FC Gombe.
The Alhaji Baba Manu Sports Administrator of the Year – was bagged by Hon. Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, a former House of Representatives member and CEO, Mailantarki Academy.
The CEO of Prudential Sports, Farouk Yarma, specially appreciated the National Sports Commission, Nigeria Olympic Committee, the Nigeria Football Federation, TajBank, Lubel Nigeria Limited among many other organisations for partnering with his organisation towards the development of Sports.
End.
