President of Nigeria Weightlifting Federation and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Prince Chibudom Nwuche has commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the recent conferment of national honours on some deserving Nigerians drawn from various segments of the society.

In a statement issued in Abuja recently, Hon. Nwuche expressed delight at the rich and diverse composition of the awardees, stressing that it was indeed fit and proper to confer the national honour on any person found worthy in character, honesty, integrity, nationalism and service to the fatherland, irrespective of class or position in society.

“These fine traits can be found in Nigerians in every strata of society – from the lowly to the very high, including security guards, labourers, artisans, taxi drivers, teachers, politicians and government employees.

In conferring this honour on deserving persons without discrimination in status, Mr. President has indeed departed from the past where only the high and mighty were recognized and awarded national honours. He has sent a strong signal to every Nigerian that this nation will hence-forth appreciate its distinguished men and women at whatever level”, he declared.

He commended the award recipients, particularly the Commonwealth Gold medalists in Weightlifting (whose Federation he presides over) Maryam Usman and Oluwatoyin Adesanmi, for distinguishing themselves in sports and other spheres of interest and urged them to consider the national recognition as a tonic for greater service to their fatherland and mankind in general.

He also, urged the Ministry of Sports to work in harmony with the National Sports Federations to ensure better performances in future International competitions.