Oshiomhole Named Okpekpe Race Grand Patron
*Governor Obaseki to race for charity at event
By Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
Immediate past Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, has been named grand patron of the annual Okpekpe International 10km Road Race by organisers of the event.
Mike Itemuagbor, Chairman of Pamodzi Sports Marketing, owner and organisers of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) bronze label event revealed this at the Government House in Benin City last Friday at a press briefing to mark the official commencement of activities for the fifth edition of the race which will hold on Saturday May 13 in Okpekpe near Auchi in Etsako East local Government Area of Edo State.
”I will like to crave the indulgence of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of our dear state, Edo, Godwin Obaseki to name Comrade Adams Oshiomhole the grand patron of our race, the Okpekpe International 10km Road Race,’ said Itemuagbor.
The request was granted by Governor Obaseki who said Oshiomhole has been more like the legacy of the race and promised to inform his immediate past predecessor accordingly.
“The history of the Okpekpe International 10km Road Race will not be complete without Comrade Oshiomhole’s contribution to its emergence and development. I am pleased to know that you have recognised and appreciated Comrade’s role without which there may have not been the Okpekpe race today.
“What has become an internationally recognised race that has put Okpekpe and Edo State as a destination for world-class sporting events came about as an infrastructure accident following the construction of the beautiful road in and around the hilly town of Okpekpe. “Today, five years on, that infrastructure accident has become one of only two IAAF label road races in Africa and the first and only road race in Nigeria to have its course properly measured by an IAAF/AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races) accredited measurer,” said Obaseki who reiterated his government’s commitment to the continued success of the race
“The Okpekpe International 10km Road Race has come to stay and we are proud to see that it has incorporated some world-class technologies to bring it at par with major international road races in the world,” he noted.
Governor Obaseki thereafter filled the registration form to confirm his readiness to participate in the fifth edition of the race.
“I won’t be running for the cash prizes on offer at the race but for Charity. I will race to raise fund for orphanages under the ‘We Care Trust Foundation’, an an initiative of Mrs. Lara Oshiomhole which solely focused on the less privileges, orphanages, women, youths and the IDPs etc,” revealed the governor who praised the organisers of the race for their ingenuity and foresight.
