Kenneth Minimah Commissions Boxing Hostel In Lagos

The Nigerian Boxing Federation's President, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, has commissioned a-30 room boxing hostel at the Brai Ayonote boxing complex in the National Stadium, Lagos.

The project, which was inaugurated by the late Chairman of the Nigeria Amateur Boxing Association, Group Captain Brai Ayonote, was completed by engineers from the Nigerian Army in February, 21 years after the project commenced.

“Unfortunately, the construction was incomplete before the demise of the amiable and dynamic Ayonote. As a matter of fact, the uncompleted structure became a breeding ground for hoodlums, thus threatening the security of the stadium,” Chief of Army Staff and NBF President, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, said during the commissioning.

“I’m grateful to those who named this edifice Kenneth Minimah Boxing Hostel in recognition of my contribution towards its completion. I hope and believe it will boost our boxers’ determination to win medals at international championships.

“At the last Olympics, the best we got in boxing was reaching the quarterfinals, which to me was not the best for us. Of course, we have always done well in Africa but the world stage is where we should be.

“The man who started this project is no more; if he had finished it back then, boxing would have been better off today.”

Besides the 30 rooms, the two-storey building has two luxury suites, kitchen, dining facilities and offices. It also has a 60KVA generator and a borehole.

Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Al-Hassan Yakmut, said the facility would spur the boxers into winning medals at the All Africa Games in September and at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil.

He said, “The boxers and their coaches no longer have excuses not to win medals at international championships. This is a world class facility for them to camp, and they are camping early ahead of the African Games, so we should expect them to perform well.

“We have also opened talks with Cuba to assist Nigeria with two boxing coaches. They will arrive in Nigeria as soon as we finalise the memorandum of understanding.” Punch