President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), His Excellency, Thomas Bach has sent congratulatory message to Engineer Habu Ahmed Gumel, Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) President for the honour bestowed on him by the Government of Japan.
In the congratulatory message, the IOC President said, “It was with great pleasure that I learnt that you are among the distinguished foreign recipients in the world to be honoured by His Majesty Emperor Naruhito and the Government of Japan with the Most Prestigious Imperial Decoration; The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon.
“Please, accept my warmest congratulations on this outstanding distinction, which is well deserved for your important contributions to promoting friendship between Japan and Nigeria through sport. This is an acknowledgement of your great service to sport and it has a positive impact on the Olympic Movement” Bach concluded.
Engineer Gumel thanked Thomas Bach, the IOC President, for the great gesture and still solicited his support for the development of sports in Nigeria as discussed at the last meeting during the recent Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.