Former Edo State governor and senator elect, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has hailed the organiser of the Okpekpe international 10km road race, Chief Mike Itemuagbor for his determination to see the race grow from a bronze label event to the gold that it is today.
He said he is happy to be part of the success story of the historic event.
‘Thank you Mike Itemuagbor for being consistent in your determination to see the Okpekpe race become an international reality, something that anyone who knows the history of how it started will really commend you.,’ said Oshiomhole whose administration midwived the race into reality.
Oshiomhole says Itemuagbor deserves all the accolades for positively 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. 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 says he is proud to be associated with the race, the first to have its race course measured by a World Athletics
accredited course measurer. ‘’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 can not 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.’
The ninth edition of the Okpekpe international 10km road race will hold this Saturday (May 27, 2023) in Okpekpe in Estako East Local Government area of Edo State.
