Federal Government appoints Mikel Obi, Youth Ambassador

Former Super Eagles Captain, John Mikel Obi has been appointed by the Federal Government as the Nigerian youth ambassador. 

His appointment was disclosed at an event at the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) secretariat in Surulere, Lagos on Friday.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Youth and Sports Development Mr Sunday Dare, described the former Chelsea legend as a role model whose lasting legacies in football development have continued to have a positive impact on youths in the country.

“It is it my pleasure to appoint you as Nigeria Youth Ambassador. It’s a new portfolio and your role as youth ambassador will be made known to Nigerians,” Dare said, according to a statement from Special Adviser to the Minister on Media, John Joshua-Akanji.

“It’s phenomenon to have somebody like him, he should be able to gather young men around and talk to them.

“Time will not permit me to say much about Mikel’s success as a footballer. He is our legend and a role model who has continued to impact the lives of youth positively.”

In his response, Mikel expressed delight with his new portfolio and promised to work with the sports ministry to foster youth development in the country.

“I feel highly honoured to be appointed as Youth Ambassador of this country, it is a great feeling,” Obi said.

“I am happy with this partnership and I promise to do my best to encourage and inspire the youths towards national development not just in football but in other sports like Basketball, Boxing among others.”

After the event, Dare took a tour of the National Stadium which is undergoing rehabilitation. He pointed out that a lot had been put into the rehabilitation as he emphasised on the pitch, scoreboard, tracks and the spectators’ stand.

“A lot has been put in place to ensure that the stadium returns to what it used to be. The seats are no longer in line with FIFA standard, but we have partnered a private organization to have modern seats in place,” he concluded.