President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will
Saturday host the Nigeria Paralympics
Team to a special reception at the
Banquet Hall of the State House Villa in
Abuja.
The team drew encomiums from sports
enthusiasts across the nation for their
impressive outing at the London 2012
Paralympics in contrast to the woeful
outing of the able bodied Olympic
contingent to the 2012 London Olympics.
Also to be given the special treat, are the
Falconets, the country’s Under 20
football team to the FIFA U20 Women’s
World Cup in Japan.
The Paralympic team, which returned to
the country on Tuesday, placed 22nd out
of 164 countries which took part at the
Games having won six gold, five silver
and two bronze medals. They were third
in Africa.
Minister of Information and National
Orientation, Mr Labaran Maku told State
House correspondent that the president
in appreciation of the effort the teams
made decided to give them a befitting
welcome.
According to him, the entire Federal
Executive Council (FEC) will be at hand to
also support the president in receiving
the Falconets, who he described as
‘scintillating performers’ who are number
two in Africa and did well on the global
pitch defeating the best in the world.
Maku said of the Paralympics team:
“Their performance wiped away our tears
of the lacklustre performance of the able-
bodied Nigerian Olympic team.”
He commended the passion exhibited by
the Paralympics team, observing that
what their achievement has shown is
that “no matter your physical challenge
you can give your country lots of
honour.”
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