Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has renamed two major sports institutions in the state in honour of the 22 athletes who lost their lives in a tragic accident while returning from the National Sports Festival (NSF) held in Ogun State.
The tragic incident occurred on May 31 when the bus conveying the athletes and officials veered off the Dakatsalle bridge in Kura Local Government Area. The accident claimed the lives of 22 athletes, while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by Mustapha Muhammed, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, the Kano State Sports Institute and the Kano State Sports Commission will now bear the names of the fallen athletes. They have been renamed the Kano State 22 Athletes Sports Institute and Kano State 22 Athletes Sports Commission respectively.
“The athletes made the state proud and will be remembered for their sacrifices towards sports development in Kano,” the statement read. “These young athletes are heroes who contributed immensely to the success of our contingent at the National Sports Festival.”
Governor Yusuf also announced a series of welfare packages for the bereaved families. These include educational support for the children of the deceased, empowerment programmes for their widows, and assistance for the parents of those who were unmarried at the time of the incident.
In a related gesture of solidarity, Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, donated N110 million to the families of the deceased to help cushion the effects of their tragic losses.
The renaming of the sports institutions stands as a solemn tribute and a symbol of the state’s commitment to honouring the memory and contributions of its athletes.
