Former Edo State Governor and Senator elect, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said he was happy over the success story of the historic Okpekpe international 10km road race
Oshiomhole hailed the race organizer ,Mike Itemuagbor for growing the race grow from a bronze label event to its current gold label.
“Thank you Mike (Itemuagbor) for being consistent in your determination to see Okpekpe race become an international reality, something that anyone who knows the history of how it started will really commend you,” said Oshiomhole under whose administration mid-wived the race.
He added that Itemuagbor deserves accolades for projecting the image of the Okpekpe community, Edo state and Nigeria to the world.
“In this country it is easy to start programmes but what is often the challenge is sustaining it and upgrading it,” he further said.“ I am so proud that in such a short time, you have elevated the status of the Okpekpe race to an international status.
“It is now the first gold label 10km road race in Nigeria just like in 2015 when it was the first road race in Nigeria to be granted a World Athletics label status.”
Continuing, the former Edo state Governor said he was proud to be associated with the race, the first to have its race course measured by a World Athletics accredited course measurer.
He said :”The race has helped me to tell people of my age that age is not a barrier to exercise. I am still able to run 10km anyhow, what matters is not the time I spent doing it but the fact that I covered the distance.”
“One of the imports of the race is exposing international elite athletes to come to rural Nigeria where the real Nigerians, the people I refer to as the forgotten majority, those guys that smile whether they eat or not and are happy to see people from other parts of the world, different colours come to their community, you cannot imagine the joy in my heart when I see the smiles on their faces.”
Oshiomhole commended the organizer for sustaining the race, improving on it and getting it going and said he is looking forward to being part of this ninth edition.
“One day, we might get bigger people from the political leadership of this country to come and see live how you have used a rural community to elevate the status of the country. I am very proud to be part of this history,” he said.
The ninth edition of the Okpekpe international 10km road race will hold Saturday May 27 in Okpekpe in Estako East Local Government area of Edo State.
The Nation.
