Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh has canvased for improved areas of cooperation and collaboration between Nigeria and Turkey in the areas of sports promotion and development for the mutual benefit of both countries.
Receiving the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Hidayet Bayraktar and the Deputy Head of Mission, Imdat Karakoc in the audience during a courtesy visit to his Abuja office yesterday, the minister observed that Nigeria and Turkey have enjoyed cordial bilateral relations spanning several years. He stressed that both countries share a lot of things in common, especially in the area of football and looked forward to greater collaborations between both countries in this regard.
Senator Enoh stated that both countries should explore and expand more frontiers in order to create opportunities for the teaming youth for self-development.
Earlier in his remarks, the Turkish ambassador who lauded the new energy injected into the Nigerian sports ecosystem by Senator John Owan Enoh formally invited the minister to attend the 6th Ethno Sports Forum slated to take place in Turkey next month.
Hidayet BayRaktar stated that Nigeria and Turkey have a shared interest in ethno-sports, especially in archery and other ethno sports adding that there are several sports that both countries can collaborate in for mutual benefits.
The ambassador noted that Nigerian internationals Emmanuel Emenike, Joseph Yobo and Austin Jay Jay Okocha made their marks in Turkey. He expressed the hope that the sports ministry under the leadership of Senator Owan Enoh will usher in a new era of unprecedented cooperation between both countries.
On his part, Enoh referenced the notable presence of Nigerian athletes at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon South Korea, where Nigeria emerged as the only African Nation to qualify and participate, which is an indication of Nigerian athletes breaking new grounds in sports and a show of other great possibilities in the future.
