The Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Bashiru Adeniyi, has assured that the Nigeria Customs will soon regain its dominance in Nigeria’s sports like it used to do in the past.
Mr Adeniyi made the vow when the board of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF) led by its president and Olympian, Daniel Igali, paid him a congratulatory visit following his confirmation as the number one Customs officer in the country.
“Before we had a strong football club, which we are planning to bring back. Right now, our basketball team is the champion. We have won many laurels for the nation in athletics, volleyball, polo and several other sports.
“I can only assure you that we’re not relenting on our oars, Customs is coming back to dominate the nation’s sporting space, ” CGC said.
He expressed confidence in the leadership of NWF to provide the necessary support for the Nigeria’a wrestlers to excel at the forthcoming Africa Games in Ghana and summer Olympic Games in Paris.
“I’m particularly confident about our (wrestlers) chances in these Games (All African Games, African Championship, Olympics) because of the approach which the board of NWF has taken. It’s an approach which is time tested. It’s the same approach which we used in the previous tournaments at the last Olympics, at the last trial. This is an approach that has ensured that in every tournament that we have featured, once wrestling is there, we always come back with a medal.
“This would not be an exception. We are planning the trials and it (the trials) will be held hopefully in the next few weeks and once we have the trials we hope we would be able to get the resources to put the selected wrestlers in some kind of camping arrangement before we hit Ghana. I am very confident that we are going to do very well during the All African Games.
Earlier, president of the NWF, Daniel Igali, solicited the support of the Nigeria Customs Service towards having a podium finish at the All African Games and the summer Olympics in France later in the year.
Igali, who led his board during to a courtesy call to the NCS headquarters in Abuja, called on the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Bashiru Adeniyi, to assist the board to achieve podium finish at the African Games and the Olympics.
Igali, who said the CGC has brought a new zeal of life to the Wrestling Federation being a board member, described his (CGC) passion for the sports as deep-seated and unparalleled.
He said the board is focused on bringing glory to the country at international championships such as the two big Games by picking the right athletes to win medals for the country. He said like in the past, the Federation is ready to deliver and make the country proud again.
“Let me start by thanking you for the support we’ve received from members like you who has taken time to invest not personally in meetings but also financially. We look forward to more support. We are focused on positive things and of course, this is a very big year. The year of the African Games, of the Olympics. We have plans in place to ensure that we pick the right athletes.
“We’ll have our trials hopefully in the next couple of weeks, first week of February. Have them in camp get them prepared for the Olympic qualifiers first which is in Alexandria, Egypt by second week March. We hope to qualify at least six athletes going to the Olympics so that hopefully between June and August when we got back to the Olympics, we’ll deliver again.
