By IHECHINYERE CHIGEMERI-UWOM

The Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development in Abia, Nwaobilor Ananaba, says the medals donated for the ongoing State Secondary School Unity Games will be named after the late Olympian boxer, Obisia Nwankpa.

Ananaba disclosed this during a state burial organised by the State Government for the late legendary Abia-born boxer on Friday.

He said that the decision to honour the deceased was informed by his commitment to excellence and achievements.

He said that through the initiative, his name would live in Abia schools, sports development system and in the dreams of young people, who believed in excellence.

According to him, Nwankpa belonged to the generation that defined sports in Nigeria.

Ananaba, represented by the Governor’s aide in Sports, Mr Raymond Ukwa, prayed God to grant the family of the deceased the fortitude to bear his demise.

“Today, we gather as a state united in gratitude and a solemn reflection to honour the life and legacy of one of Abia’s most illustrious sons, late Obisia Nwankpa, who was fondly called ‘the Golden Gloves’.

“Obisia belonged to the generation that defined sports in Nigeria and they did so through discipline, sacrifice and uncommon patriotism.

“And all through his sporting and boxing career, he represented Nigeria and Abia at the height of sports excellence.

“He didn’t just represent the state, he represented the hopes of the people and, of course, the resilience of the country.

“He invested his time and resources and personal influence into the lives of young people, young athletes, opening doors and creating opportunities that could not have been easily accessed.

“So, today, we bid him farewell and, on behalf of the government and people of Abia, I say with clarity and gratitude, Abia remembers Obisia Nwankpa.”

In a remark, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Chief Cyril Nwaigwe, said that the death of Nwankpa had created a vacuum difficult to fill in the field of sports and in his family.

Also, the State Director of Sports, Mr Obioma George, said that Nwankpa chose boxing as a profession and excelled in it.

George said that late Nwankpa won 23 of his 29 fights as a boxer, adding that 16 of them were knockouts.

He said: “Our brother lying down here today started boxing from the amateur level and made it to the professional level.

“Nwankpa got a gold medal in all African Games as far back as 1973 in Lagos.

“He also got a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games and was a light, welterweight boxer.

“He was in Munich Olympics of 1972.”

George described the deceased as “a warrior, a fighter and a talented boxer”.

In a homily at the event, entitled: “Divine Responsibility”, a clergyman, Mr Stanley Adindu, said that everyone is assigned a role and time to fulfill it.

Adindu said that it was pertinent for one to identify and accomplish one’s assignment within the allotted time frame.

In an interview with newsmen, the first daughter of the deceased, Mrs Victoria Ngozi, described her father as kind, generous, loving, and accommodating.

“He was one man that didn’t like cheating, he didn’t like anybody to be cheated, and he took everybody as his own.

“Whenever you see daddy fighting, you see him getting angry because he felt like somebody was being cheated. So, my daddy was a kind man,” Ngozi said.

Also, Nwankpa’s widow, Franca, described her late husband as very caring to her and their children.

“He would never sleep until his children had all slept and at midnight, he would wake up to check on them.

“And whenever he got angry with his children, he wouldn’t hesitate to correct them with love,” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nwankpa, who died on June 3 at 75, was buried in his Okpulukwu, Umuosu-Nsulu country home, in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area.

The event attracted the presence of top government functionaries, members of the Nigerian Olympians Association, amongst other dignitaries. (NAN)