The Minister for Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung has thrown his weight behind the Joseph Yobo Testimonial and Centenary match coming up this Friday, May 27, 2016 at the Adokie Amesiemeka Stadium, Port Harcourt.
Speaking when the Joseph Yobo Centenary Game committee led by Joseph Yobo and coordinator Waidi Akanni paid the Honorable Minister a courtesy visit in his office on Tuesday in Abuja, the minister remarked that the entire nation was proud of the former Everton defender for his record-setting feat of 101 caps for Nigeria.
Dalung who was at 2002 Africa Cup of Nations as part of the Federal Government delegation praised Yobo for his dedication to Nigeria describing him as a national asset.
“We’re proud of you because you have put in so much. The joy of the whole thing is that you are lucky to be celebrated alive. I’m sure that when you were playing the matches, you were not counting the number of games you played but you offered a selfless service. For every good thing a human being does, it will be compensated by another person now or later. So I associate myself with this great idea and I pray and wish you a successful outing”.
Dalung also had words of advice for the ex-International.
“I will advise that the best you can do for this country is not only to be celebrated but you need to reproduce people who think like you, who behave like you and people who will do things the way you do. The best thing to happen to any human being is to look back and see people resembling you while phasing out. With your level of international exposure and experience, you should be able to have something locally done on ground. Carefully select people who believe in what you believe in and bring them up so that this cause we’re celebrating will be replicated”.
He expressed his regrets over his inability to be physically present on Friday in Port Harcourt because his invitation came at a time that he had already started his vacation and will be out of the country. Barrister Dalung promised that a high powered Federal Government delegation led by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry will be at the celebration.
He used the medium to advice that the Ministry of Youth and Sports and other relevant authorities should be taken into confidence in planning such activity of national relevance to enable all stakeholders to be on the same page.
Responding, the former Super Eagles captain seized the opportunity to congratulate the Honorable Minister on his appointment.
“We want to use this opportunity to invite everybody to Rivers state. I apologize for coming to inform you about the game so late but it’s the right thing to come in person and invite you to this game. Your presence will make a huge difference as the father of sports in this country. If you look at my resume and what I’ve done for this nation, 101 games, 3 World Cups and 6 Africa Cup of Nations, I just realized what I’ve done and everybody is pushing me to be celebrated. I wish you’d be there with your team because it’s going to be an exciting game”.
Joseph Yobo is the first Nigerian to play 101 games and will be joined by Chelsea captain John Terry, African football legend Samuel Etoo Fils and former Nigerian legends Austin Okocha ,Nwankwo Kanu and Vincent Enyeama at the centenary game.
