Nigeria pledges to host exciting 13th African Wrestling Tournament

Posted : 19 December 2024

Nigeria has committed to hosting the 13th edition of the ECOWAS African Wrestling Tournament, scheduled to take place between March 4 and 10, 2025.

This assurance was given by the National Sports Commission Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko.

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Dikko hosted the Director of Youth and Sports Development for ECOWAS, Francis Njoaguani, who visited to assess the country's preparedness to host the event, which will take place two months before ECOWAS’ 50th anniversary.

In his words, Dikko stated: "I want to assure you that we are committed. We will do everything possible to host the tournament. And we don't want it to be just a one-off. We want to host more of these tournaments."

Dikko emphasized that hosting the event aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's commitment to ECOWAS and sports in general.

"A few days ago, I heard that our visionary President has met all of Nigeria’s outstanding obligations to ECOWAS.

“It’s quite a huge amount of money and shows the commitment of Mr. President to ensuring that we always meet our obligations as a nation.

“This commitment also extends to the area of sports. There's a lot to be done in sports, and we are ready to collaborate with ECOWAS to advance its sports development projects," he said.

Dikko also urged ECOWAS to bring more sporting events to Nigeria.

"The President is committed to having first-class facilities in the country, starting with the Abuja Stadium.

“We want to refurbish our stadium to make it available for hosting all sorts of tournaments. We are open to hosting regular events in this stadium.

“So, bring not just traditional wrestling but other sports, and we will make our facilities available.

“The more events we host, the more we activate the sports economy we are striving to advance. Every time we host an event, we create a value chain of activities, market opportunities, sustainable jobs, wealth distribution, and more.

“We are ready to partner with ECOWAS to bring critical events to Nigeria—not just in Abuja, but in any state capable of hosting your events," he added.

Dikko opined that such events would help keep youth positively engaged and address restiveness in the entire ECOWAS subregion.

“All the issues we face regarding security in ECOWAS can be mitigated through sports as a foundation and pathway to redirect youth energies toward positive activities," he explained.

He also highlighted the unique significance of the tournament, which Nigeria has never hosted before.

"This will take place during the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS, and our dear President is the chairman of ECOWAS. Hosting this event will be fitting.

“Perhaps, during the tournament, there could also be an ECOWAS meeting here. We might even encourage the heads of state to attend the final, which would elevate our sports to another level," he concluded.

Njoaguani used the opportunity to brief the chairman on the 3rd edition of the ECOWAS Abuja International Marathon, also slated for March 2025. The chairman committed to collaborating to ensure its success and to generate additional value for the economy.

Nigeria pledges to host exciting 13th African Wrestling Tournament

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