Okpekpe pays Nigerian winners, sets standard on Road Race prize money

Okpekpe pays Nigerian winners, sets standard on Road Race prize money

Organisers of the Okpekpe International 10km Road Race have announced the payment of prize money to Nigerian winners of the 11th edition, less than two months after the race and following the completion of all anti-doping requirements.

The prize money, sponsored by Peter Dunia, a security expert and chief executive officer of Oceanwaves, was paid directly into the athletes' bank accounts. Dunia had personally presented symbolic dummy cheques to the winners immediately after the race in May.

The organisers said the public announcement of the payment was intended to recognise the Nigerian athletes and demonstrate the value placed on their participation and performances. The payment also comes against a backdrop of concerns over delayed or unpaid prize money in Nigerian road racing.

Okpekpe has a dedicated prize category for Nigerian elite runners, with awards for the top five finishers in both the men's and women's races, similar to the prize structure for international elite athletes.

Raymond Iliya Gyang won the men's Nigerian category, with Benjamin Ratsim second and Boyi James third. In the women's category, Patience Daylop successfully defended her title, while Akusho Thomas and Vivian Nenyitwe finished second and third respectively.

The prize money for the top three finishers was three million naira for first place, two million naira for second and one million naira for third in each gender category.

Dunia said after the race that Nigerian athletes needed support and recognition if they were to progress towards international standards.

'I believe Nigerian athletes should be encouraged and rewarded if we truly seek their development into world elite level runners,' he said.

The 11th edition also produced signs of progress among Nigerian male runners, with four athletes breaking 31 minutes. Gyang ran 30:28, finishing 28 seconds outside the 30-minute barrier and moving closer to the standard associated with the international elite category.

Okpekpe Race Director Zack Amodu said the organisers had noticed the improvement in the performances of Nigerian athletes and would continue to provide support and incentives for their development.

'We have noticed the significant improvement in the performances of Nigerian elite athletes and will continue to provide the enabling environment and the reward to encourage them,' Amodu said.

Amodu thanked Dunia and Oceanwaves for sponsoring the prize money.

'This is very commendable and Dunia has proved that his company is not only helping to secure Nigeria but also secure the career of Nigerian road runners,' he said.

He called on individuals and corporate organisations to invest in Nigerian athletes and help develop them into international competitors.

'We call on all other individuals and corporate citizens to help lift Nigerians and develop them to be among the best in the world so that they can run all over the globe and invariably contribute positively to the growth of the Nigerian economy and provide employment,” Amodu said.

'This will also encourage a lot of talents to take to sports and be positively engaged. An idle mind, they say, is the devil's workshop.'

Nigerian runners at the Okpekpe race are also provided accommodation and recognised at different stages of the event, organisers said, as part of efforts to encourage their participation and development.

The race was the first in West Africa to receive World Athletics label status and the first in the region to hve its course measured by a World Athletics-accredited road race course measurer.

The organisers said the payment of the prize money, following the completion of the required anti-doping procedures, was another demonstration of the race's commitment to international standards and to recognising the Nigerian athletes who compete in the event.