The Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday received the 2019 World Cup Trophy of the International Cricket Council.
The trophy, which has been on a global tour of cities ahead of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, which holds in the United Kingdom in June, arrived Nigeria through Abuja on Monday before being received in Lagos by the governor in Alausa, Ikeja.
“I think a lot of people don’t understand cricket deeply because it has a lot of values that can be learnt from it. As a former cricketer, which I played way back in secondary school, I appreciate the game and I look forward to seeing more young people learn from the game” he said
Ambode said he was pleased that the ICC chose Lagos as the only state apart from Abuja to host cricket’s most prized silverware in the country.
“It is indeed an honour to be the only governor to host the trophy in the country,” he said.
President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Professor Yahaya Ukwenya, said the support from the state was one of the reasons that earned the federation the commendations that encouraged the international body to select Nigeria as one of the three countries for the Trophy Tour on the continent.
“We are indeed very grateful for the support that Lagos State has extended to the federation and it is one of the reasons we are enjoying this rare privilege of hosting the trophy,“ he said.
The trophy would be displayed at the Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval on Lagos Island on Wednesday, where sports enthusiasts and the cricket community would have the opportunity of seeing the trophy and taking pictures with it.
