…As Senator Dickson Gifts Her N2Million For Winning Silver Medal At The Tokyo Olympics

By Michael Egiethua

Blessing Oborodudu, the Bayelsa born wrestler who won Nigeria’s only medal at the Tokyo Olympics, a Silver medal, has been presented a check of Two Million Naira (N2, 000, 000) by the Henry Seriake Dickson Foundation at an event in Abuja on Tuesday, 14th of December 2021. The award and Presentation were for her role in inspiring our youths and girls as a Living Legend.

Speaking to the publisher of Crossfire Reports after the ceremony, Blessing Oborodudu said that in the 2014 Glasgow Games (Commonwealth Games), then Governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson was the first Governor to visit the athletes in Camp.

She, along with other Wrestling Living Legends and Icons of Ijaw extraction was honoured by the Henry Seriake Dickson (HSD) Foundation in recognition of their outstanding performance over the years.
Oborodudu described Senator Dickson as a unique man in the sense that, in 2014, at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, he was the first Governor to visit the Nigerian Wrestling Team. She said he did not stop at that, but that he was also the first Governor to receive the Nigeria Wrestling Team in 2018 after the Commonwealth Games and that he gave generous cash donations to the athletes.

Oborodudu said she was not surprised at Senator Dickson’s donation today as he has been consistent with his love and support for sports development, but that, what surprised her was the amount involved, Two Million Naira (N2, 000, 000) which she was gifted by the Henry Seriake Dickson Foundation.

She noted that there are many dignitaries in Bayelsa State that can do this kind of gifting but that because of Dickson’s unique nature, he is indeed the first to make such a generous donation by publicly honouring her and her coach and also went as far as inviting a good number of wrestlers from Bayelsa State to Abuja for the recognition and award as Living Legends and Icons of Traditional Ijaw Wrestling.

She thanked and appreciated Senator Dickson for his love and promotion of wrestling in Bayelsa State and Nigeria. She said with the Nanaye Dickson Wrestling Tournament, she was sure that it will produce younger Wrestlers who will take over from her and others and that they will bring bigger honours to Bayelsa State and Nigeria. It was her prayer that the younger athletes will surpass her performance and go to the Olympics to win Gold medals for Nigeria.

She thanked Senator Dickson and the Henry Seriake Dickson (HSD) Foundation, his family members, the Honourable Minister of Sports, Mr Sunday Dare, Senator Obinna Ogba, Chairman Senate Committee on Sports, Royal Father of the Day, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, representative of the President of the Nigerian Wrestling Federation and Vice President of the Federation, Mr. Christopher Amkpila as well as her coaches and all others who made the occasion a truly special one.

She advised Nigerian and Bayelsa youths in regards to sports excellence to maintain their focus always and never give up on their dreams. She also advised the youths in athletics to always train and never miss their training sessions no matter what the circumstances may be. She said it was her consistent training that paved the way for her performance at the Tokyo Olympics and other competitions she has excelled in.

She promised the HSD Foundation, the Minister of Sports and Nigerians in general that she will work harder to win Gold at the next Olympics once her knee was fixed. The Minister of Sports, Mr. Sunday Dare, had earlier in his address requested that Oborodudu hand over her medical care and treatment to the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development to enable the ministry to do the needful to make her get the required surgery.