The delegation from the Sports Journalists Association of The Gambia (SJAG) on Wednesday February 24 called on the Nigerian High Commissioner to The Gambia Esther John Au,du, at her office along the Bertil Harding Highway.
The delegation comprising the acting president Musa Sise, first vice president Uthman Jeng and treasurer Namory Trawally briefed ambassador Audu on the forthcoming SJAG Award to be held on Friday March 27th.
Speaking at the ceremony attended by senior staff of the embassy, Musa Sise thanked the Nigerian Embassy for supporting last year’s event, which helped the association in host the event successfully.
He also congratulated the Nigerian national team for being decorated as African Team of the Year at last year’s event.
Mr Sise told the Nigerian diplomat that this year’s event has taken another dimension as Gambia’s and Africa’s finest referee, Bakary Papa Gassama, will be celebrated at the event and veteran players of one of Gambia’s best national teams that played the 1985 Zone 2 final against Senegal in Banjul, will be remembered on that night with their Senegalese counterparts.
Acting president Sise extended an official invitation to ambassador Audu to grace the occasion.
Ambassador Audu in receiving the SJAG delegation showered praises on the association for their stand in developing sports in the country and in Africa as a whole. She also thanked SJAG for awarding Nigeria the Africa football team of the Year title last year.
The Nigerian envoy once again applauded SJAG for helping her embassy organise the football tournament during Nigeria’s Golden Jubilee, and hoped to see the same thing would be organised by SJAG as part of celebrations marking Gambia’s Golden Jubilee.
On the forthcoming Awards ceremony Audu said they will support the initiative and she would grace the occasion personally.
The Nigerian diplomat seized the occasion to reveal that the Nigerian U-20 team is on its way to a training camp in Banjul ahead of the CAF U-20 Championship in Dakar, Senegal, and appealed to Gambian journalists to make them feel at home, to enable them to have a good tournament in Dakar.