PDP BoT Chairman, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (r); PDP Ag. National Chairman, Alhaji Haliru Belo (left); D.G. Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation, Dr. Dalhatu Tafida (middle); PDP Presidential Candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan (2nd right); his runningmate, Vice President Namadi Sambo (3rd right) and other dignitaries at the grand finale of the PDP Presidential Campaign at the Eagle Square, Abuja, Saturday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.
ONE of the unique attributes of Abuja is the street names. They draw from a combination of history and geography and take one on memorable journeys. The names are from other cities, rivers, politicians, freedom fighters, bureaucrats, business people, from all over theworld. Nigerian interests are covered.
Recent efforts to maintain the tradition could bequeath younger Nigerians with wrong stories about their country. The justification for a proposed street in Abuja for Richard Ihetu, better known as Dick Tiger, heightens our fears.
Doubtlessly, Dick Tiger deserves the honour. He remains one of the best and most famous world boxing champions from Africa. He held spectators captive, winning the world middleweight title twice and added the world light heavyweight title to it. He died at 42, from liver cancer, 44 years ago.
The fact that he had one of his celebrated title defences at the Liberty Stadium in Ibadan on 10 August 1963 against the American Gene
Fullmer – their third fight in 10 months – probably makes Dick Tiger stick on the minds of those who saw or heard the ricocheting detailsof the triple encounters. Dick Tiger won the first, drew the second, all in the United States, his base, and won the final one in Ibadan.
However, Dick Tiger was not the first Nigerian to win a world boxing title as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Senator Bala Mohammed claimed while justifying the 182 after whom Abuja streets would be named. The honour belongs to Hogan Kid Bassey, who, at 25, won the world featherweight title on 24th June 1957, knocking out Frenchman Cherif Hamia in the 10th round in Paris – five years before Dick Tiger’s first title. Hogan Bassey died 27 years after Dick Tiger.
Why does Abuja not know him?
Both men were eminent enough to have streets named after them. Hogan Kid Bassey, a pioneer, was also a national boxing coach by 1963. Was the Abuja honour for him or Dick Tiger? We assume the authorities verified the informatioused in making this decision, which now casts doubts on justifications for some of the others listed.
Last year, the Federal Government handed out 100 awards for Nigeria’s centenary. Five sports people were included as “heroes in global sports competitions”: Madam Chioma Ajunwa (Nigeria’s first Olympic gold medallist), Nwankwo Kanu (renowned footballer and Olympicmedallist), Richard Ihetu (Dick Tiger, double world boxing champion), Chief Michael Okpala (Power Mike, pioneer world wrestling champion), and Monday Ochuko Emoghawve (multiple Olympic gold medallist in power lifting). Who forgot Bassey?
A grave injustice has been done to the memory of Hogan Kid Bassey. It can, and should be corrected.
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