President Goodluck Jonathan, on Monday, received the Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Baton, and urged Nigerian athletes to work hard to improve their performance in the upcoming games.
The Commonwealth games, which hold every four years, would be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 3 this year.
Head of the Commonwealth, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, had personally flagged off the relay, on October 9, 2013, at Buckingham palace, London.
The baton is expected to move round the 71 countries and territories of the commonwealth, thereby collecting over a third of the world’s population.
Wearing a white sports outfit and a face cap to receive the baton which was handed to him by the Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdulahi, at the Presidential Villa, the President noted that it was gratifying that Nigeria, as part of the Commonwealth family, wass fully involved in the Queens baton relay which was one of the great traditions of the commonwealth games.
“I have no doubt that the Queen’s baton symbolises the shared ideals of the commonwealth of nations and provides a unique opportunity for us to share in the excitement of the commonwealth games.
I believe it also plays the important role of creating awareness of the games amongst sports loving people and citizens of the commonwealth,” the president said.
I believe it also plays the important role of creating awareness of the games amongst sports loving people and citizens of the commonwealth,” the president said.
Jonathan recalled that Nigeria, a committed member of the commonwealth, had participated in all but four of the commonwealth games since 1950, even way before its independence as a nation in 1960.
Nigeria’s first gold medal was won in the high jump at the ‘British Empire and Commonwealth games’ as it was called in Vancouver, Canada, in 1954. Nigeria won a total of seven medals: one gold, two silver and three bronze in Vancouver.
According to the President, the country’s most memorable outings were the 1994 and 2010 games in Victoria, Canada and Delhi, India, where eleven gold medals were won each.
The President noted that following the glorious time experienced in sporting activities, Nigerians were expecting more. “Nigerians are therefore expecting a much better performance in Glasgow. We will therefore send a compact and powerful team of athletes,” he said.
He further assured that the “government will ensure that adequate resources are made available for the training and participation of all the athletes going to the games.
“I therefore urge all our sportsmen and women coaches and other officials to intensify their efforts in preparation of the games.”
He urged all Nigerians to give adequate support to the development of sports in the country and said that, “Sports, as we all know, not only builds character but is a veritable tool for sustaining the unity of our great nation”.
The President then handed the baton to the minister of the Federal Capitla Territory (FCT), Bala Mohammed, for a state tour.
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