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By Young E. Freeborn, Warri
The 3rd edition of the 10km road race for secondary schools students in Delta State and the 1st edition of the 10km road race for adults, organized by the Princeton Akpojaro Running Enterprise, was held on Sunday February 13, 2022 at Ughelli main town, headquarters of Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state with winners smiling home with various prizes.
The marathon race, organized by Urhobo-born and United Kingdom-based sports manager, Mr. Princeton Akpojaro, brought together over a thousand students from schools majorly in Ughelli North and Ughelli South local government areas of the state, with Master Jighi-ghi Paul from Eni Grammar School, Evwreni taking the first position in the male category and Miss Edafe Princess from Uwheru Grammar School, Uwheru taking the first position in the female category.
Mr. Avwaruro Joshua from Ughelli town came first in the men category of the adult race while Mrs. Onokurhefe Edoka also from Ughelli town equally took first position in the women category of the adult race.
Others who took second and third positions in the various categories of the race were Isheri Oghenegweke, from Ofuoma Grammar School, Ofuoma-Ughelli, who took second position in the male category, while Ohwekoma Stephen, from Owahwa Grammar School, Owahwa, took third position in the male category. In the female category, Efehu Precious, from Ewu Grammar School, Ewu-Urhobo, took second and Emoefe Obedient, from Eni Grammar School, Evwreni, came third. While in the adult race, Edogauho Henry from Ughelli town took second position and Isodje Paul also from Ughelli town came third.
Speaking to newsmen after the event, the organizer, Mr. Akpojaro said, “I’m overwhelmed with joy that, this year’s edition of the sport event was successful and peaceful.
“This sport event is solely and fully organized as a charity service to my people by my sport organization based in the United Kingdom. It’s an annual event and this is the third edition of it here in Ughelli town. I’m organizing it as part of sports development in Urhobo land to encourage our students in secondary schools in long distance races.
“This year we have also made another achievement by introducing 10km road race for adults. So this is the first edition of the adult race. As usual, the first three winners in each of the different categories of the game are entitled to different prizes. There are also prizes for all the participants that ended in the finishing point.”
The UK based sports manager said, “Let me at this time express my appreciations to the commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education in Delta State for approving the event, the CIEs of Ughelli North and Ughelli South local government areas, school principals and their sports teachers, the Ughelli Division of the Nigeria Police Force, the FRSC, the Red Cross and other security agencies for providing adequate security and controlling of traffic throughout the event.
“In the same way too, I want to thank the members of NAPHER-SD of both Ughelli North and Ughelli South local government areas for their great support in co-ordination, supervision and recording of the event. I’m indeed grateful to all the students that participated in this year’s edition of the event especially the winners. I still want to encourage them to show more interest in this game,” he said.
However, showing their appreciations to the organizer of the sport event, Miss Edafe Princess who took first position under the female category from Uwheru Grammar School, Uwheru on behalf of the other winners and all the participants poured praises on the organizer, Mr. Princeton Akpojaro for contributing immensely to sports development in the state.
She described Mr. Akpojaro as a philanthropic sports manager that should be emulated by our politicians, churches and even, by the state government through the ministries of Sports and Youth Development and Basic and Secondary Education.
At the end, the sports event which was supervised by the NAPHER-SD of both Ughelli North and Ughelli South local government areas led by its chairmen, Mr. Ohwojeroh Augustine and Mrs. Okandeji Elohor, saw winners smiling home with different cash prizes for themselves and for their schools, while every participant that got to the finishing point went home with gifts and a medal.
