Abba Yola bags prestigious Pan-African Icon Of Sports Renaissance Award
Alhaji Abba Abdulahi Yola bagged the prestigious Thomas Sankara Leadership Prize for Pan-African Icon of Sports Renaissance Award in Abuja on Friday.
The former back-to-back title-winning Kano Pillars chairman and defunct NSC top official received the award at an event held at Bitou Street, Parakou Crescent, Wuse 2.
Widely acknowledged as a vastly experienced sports administrator, the organisers of the prestigious awards, Youth Partnership For Africa’s Development (YOUPAD), described him as a consummate Pan Africanist.
In the letter of recognition signed by President of YOUPAD, Hon. Coulibaly BN Hameed of Cote d’Ivoire, extolled Abba Yola, for his leadership ideology and high administrative prudence and also commended him for his hardwork and dedication to national service via the sports sector.
In his response, Ciroman Yola, as fondly called, who is currently the Chief of Staff to Minister for Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare said he was extremely honoured and grateful to receive the important award.
While pledging to support the lofty goals of the organisation, he said the Award will spur him on to do more by contributing to the development of youth through sports.
He further dedicated the award to his boss Sunday Dare, colleagues and friends, nothing that the achievements would not have been possible without the doggedness and pragmatic approach of his boss, Minister of Sports with full support of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari.
The softly spoken awardee was equally praised for his well articulated policies which has positively transformed sports development in various capacities of his services to Nigeria, as well as, his leadership with zero tolerance to corruption, nepotism and favouritism.
Past illustrious recipients of the prize include President Umar Al-Bashir of Sudan, IGP Ibrahim Idris and Prof. Chukwuma Ozumba, amongst other distinguished Africans.