By Paul Erewuba
The President of Nigeria Boxing Board of Control (NBBC) Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, during the week, led board members and Supporters Club to INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Isolo, Lagos to confer the General Overseer of the Church, Primate Babatunde Elijah Ayodele with Life Patron of the Sports body.
The ceremony saw board members and Supporters Club members go into wild jubilation with dance and praises inside the Church’s headquarters.
Speaking while eulogising the Man of God, Ladipo who recently emerged the NBB of C boss said it was an honour well deserved, adding that the revered Man of God merits it.
“We decided to make Primate Ayodele our Life Patron because he has been with us in thick and thin. He has always prayed for our success. In 1994 when the Super Eagles won the Nations Cup and we got to the second round of the World Cup in the USA, he predicted our success and it came to pass.
“We also need to let the world know that all our successes as Supporters Club has been made possible by him through his prayers and predictions.
“For the past 20 years he has supported us whenever we are in difficulty for our national teams to win matches. We need prayers at the NBB of C and that’s why we decided again to embark on this journey to make the Primate our Life Patron. For us to move forward at NBB of C, we need his spiritual guidance.
Speaking while accepting the gesture, Primate Ayodele said he was overwhelmed, pledging to do his best to lift boxing in Nigeria.
“It’s a privilege. I don’t know what to say. I pray God gives me the power and strength to meet everybody’s expectation. I am going to do my best to ensure that boxing moves forward in Nigeria. And I believe God that in the nearest future Nigeria will produce a boxer that can win the World title.”