C’ River Honours Hogan Bassey

Nigeria’s pioneer world boxing champion, Hogan ‘Kid’ Bassey, was among 50 Nigerians honoured by the Cross River Government as part of the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebration.

The late Bassey put Nigeria on the world sporting map when he won the World Featherweight title in 1957, three years before the country’s independence in 1960.

Tidesports source reports that he lost the title in 1959 and shortly became the first indigenous boxing coach of the National Sports Commission.

Nigeria’s foremost sports administrators Abraham Ordia and Oyo Orok Oyo were also honoured.

Ordia, who was the President of the Supreme Council of Sports in Africa, spearheaded the fight against apartheid in South Africa, using the instrumentality of sports.

Ordia will be well remembered for the African boycott of the 1976 Montreal Olympics in Canada because of the tour of New Zealand’s rugby team, All-Blacks, to South Africa that same year.

The African boycott was a huge blow to the Games in Canada.

Oyo, who died in November 2009 in Calabar, was for many years Nigeria’s member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee.

Mercy Nku, the 7th All Africa Games fastest woman, was also among those honoured by the government.

Patrick Ugbe, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River, in a statement, described Nku as the state’s greatest athlete.

“Nku was crowned Africa’s fastest woman in 1999 at the 7th All African Games in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“She also won four gold medals at the second African Junior Championships in Bouake, Cote d’Ivoire, in 1995 to make history as the only Nigerian female athlete to accomplish such a feat,” Ugbe said.

Meanwhile, the governor has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to this year’s Obudu International Mountain Race at the Obudu Ranch Resort.

The race is billed to hold on Nov. 27.