The Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, on Monday said that having the ICC World Cup Trophy in Nigeria was an acknowledgment of the trust for sports administration in Nigeria .
Dalung said this while receiving the ICC World Cup Trophy at the Abuja National Stadium’ Velodrome.
He said that bringing the cup to Nigeria was also an acknowledgement of the efforts of the present board of Nigeria Cricket Federation in developing the sports.
According to him, it is a great honour and privilege to have the ICC world cup touring in Nigerian cities at this time of the nation’s sporting history.
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“It is very important to us since it is noted that Nigeria is not among the world power houses of cricket. The presence of this cup in Nigeria is an acknwledgement of the trust and confident for Nigeria sports administration.
It is also an affirmation of the present board of NCF in repositioning cricket in Nigeria,’’ he said.
Dalung who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Olusade Adesola said that the NCF board has been working tirelessly to bring cricket in Nigeria to the next level.
He noted that with the coming of the present administration some years back, the minister and the ministry took bold steps in making sure that institutions are build on trusted hands to manage sports.
Dalung said the result was harvest of Africa and international championships hosted in the country, which was helping the sport to grow.
He urged the president of NCF and his team to continue with the efforts and congratulated them for the landmark achievements recorded so far.
Dalung also thanked the ICC for the historic opportunity and trust bestowed on Nigeria.
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He said that the recent event hosted by Nigeria and the forthcoming one later in the year was all evidence of the trust and confidence in Nigeria.
Earlier, the president of NCF, Yahaya Ukwenya, said that the coming of the ICC world cup was an inspiration to the all cricketers including upcoming ones.
He said the federation would continue to put in their best to ensure that the sports continue to grow to the next level.
Ukwenya said the trophy would go round the cricket world for 100 days before the World Cup championships.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the ICC world cup trophy would be on display at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos on Wednesday morning.(NAN)