Record-setting ball juggler’s feat excites Bayelsa govt

Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa

The Bayelsa state government on Saturday expressed joy over the feat achieved by Mr
Tonye Solomon, aka D-Boy, an indigene of the state, who last Thursday set a new world record for walking the longest distance with a ball stuck on his head.

Solomon, with the ball ‘balanced’ on his head became an instant celebrity when he walked himself into the Guinness Book of World Records by trekking the longest distance ever after his first attempt failed last month due to a downpour

After failing to break the record on the 9th of July, 2016, due to the heavy rain that started after he had covered a distance of 38km, the 28-year-old Yenagoa-born ball juggler, finally achieved his dream of breaking the record by walking a distance of 52 kilometres.

He started his journey from the university town of Amassoma, en-route Tombia town onto Agudama-Epie before finishing at Peace Park, opposite Government House, Yenagoa.

Before his last month’s failed bid, it was learnt that he had wanted to walk from Ahoada town in Rivers State, to Yenagoa but the assessors advised against it due to the rough and bumpy condition of the road.

The current title holder of “The Greatest Distance Travelled With a Football Balanced On The Head,” is a Nigerian, Chinedu Harrison, who dethroned the former champion, an Indian soldier, Naib Singh, after he walked a distance of 48.04km, from the Redeemed Christian Church headquarters in Lagos to the National Stadium in Surulere.

While expressing delight over the achievement, the Bayelsa State Government noted that it was a manifestation of the ‘can do’ spirit of the average Bayelsa person.

In a statement signed by the state Information and Orientation Commissioner, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, the government noted that the 52 kilometres covered by the ball juggler explains the true sense of character of the average Bayelsa youth and thanked him for making the state proud.

Obuebite urged Solomon to go for more resounding glories, adding that the government will support him in his quest for more laurels.

“The young man’s effort may not be a pioneering one, but he certainly qualifies as an achiever for putting the name of his state in the Guinness Book of World Records”, the state government noted.