Kienka gets two sports awards in one month

By Admin

Godwin Kienka, the director of the International Tennis Academy and Executive Secretary of the Sports Performance Reward Fund, has been nominated for two awards in the month of March.

The first was given to the author, sports administrator, tennis coach, sports marketer and sports development consultant, among others, by the South-South Interclub Tennis Association at their AGM and National Championship held in Benin on Saturday, March 7. Presented under the seal of the founding president, Sir Emem Akpabio, the citation honoured Kienka for his “dedication and immense contribution to the game of tennis and his services to humanity”

The second award is coming from the Sportsville Special Recognition Awards taking place at the Country Club, Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday, April 3.

A man of many parts, Kienka has gone about his work humbly and quietly.  Author of three books, the latest – Sports in Nigeria – Going Round in Circles, he was the first black African to become an international official of the International Tennis Federation and the Association of Tennis Professionals and was the Chairman of the Sports Reform Committee set up by sports minister Solomon Dalung under the Buhari administration. That committee, which had 13 members, completed its work lasting several months without collecting a kobo from the government. That work has been lauded by many as the most impactful committee work in Nigerian sports history.

Kienka, in his trademark caustic humour, likened the awards coming back-to-back to the proverbial London buses.

“You wait all day for them, and towards evening, six of them show up at the same time. All we do is for humanity and to the glory of God,” he said.

Photo:

Godwin Kienka with Sir Alex Ekwueme, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, 40 NCC Finals Tennis League.