By Joy Omagha Idam
The FCT Karate Association in collaboration with Read and Reap (RARE), a literacy advocacy and educational community held a Special
Demonstration and Award Giving Pre-Birthday event to honour Prof. Okey Ikechukwu, mni. He is a Patron of the Association and also has a first degree Black Belt. The event was held to celebrate his contributions to the Nigerian Karate community.
Sensei Essien Allan kick started things by thanking the celebrant, “You are a leader to us, we are grateful for your contributions to FCT Karate Association and the Karate Community. We congratulate you on becoming a Professor of Strategic Management and Human Capital Development at Nnamdi Azikiwe University and on your Diamond Jubilee as you turn 60 in a few days”.
The demonstrations included: General Kihon, Team Kata demonstration and Bunkai, Individual Kata and Kihon Kumite. Some of them were done by past representatives of Nigeria at the All-Africa Games and young members of the association. Awards were also given to exemplary members a total of 11.qaa
African Champion, Rita Ogene was one of the awardees and Allan Essien won the Award of Distinction For Continuous Personal Improvement, Scholarly Pursuits and Leadership Potential, to mention a few.
The Celebrant, Prof. Ikechukwu appreciated and tasked all present, “I thank the leaders of Karate in Abuja and everyone present. In this Art, whatever belt you wear is a sign of resilience. This hierarchy is not based on favour. There is no shortcut in life, you should all continue to work hard for any level you attain”. He also expressed his disappointment with the poor treatment of Nigerian Students.
The Technical Director of the Karate Federation of Nigeria (KFN), Shihan Dave Jegede commended Prof Ikechukwu’s gesture for rewarding athletes sterling performances and drive for excellence.
The Matron of the Association and an Honourable Black Belt holder, Hajiya Maryam Tahar, expressed her delight with the growth of the Association, “I’m happy to see that there are four generations of Karatekas present here. All the young ones should take Karate as an important part of their lives. The sky is your beginning and I hope to see many of you as National and International champions”.
The READ and REAP, presented an award to the celebrant “in recognition of his exceptional mentorship, leadership and contribution to the knowledge and intellectual space.” Speaking on RARE , the Acting Programs Director, Suzan Okeke noted that they are an active learning community aimed at bringing back the lost culture of reading.
They employ fun activities like cookouts to achieve their goals and their consistency of over 3 years and annual average read hit of 12 books is a testament to the zeal and value they bring. They are currently embarking on community project to fund o’level exams for 30 indigent students in GSS Gwagwa, a rural school , in the FCT.
*They can be found on all social media platforms @readandreaporg.
The event ended on a solemn note as a minute of silence and a Candlelight procession was held in honour of two fallen heroes of the Association, Sensei Iruobe Godwin and Sensei Akpovruvie Aaron.
