Kamaru Usman: What Nigeria Sports Minister Told UFC Superstar During Visit In Abuja

Minister  of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare has charged  Kamaru Usman to use his influence to develop  Martial  Arts in Nigeria.

Dare made this appeal on Friday when he hosted Usman in his office in Abuja.

"Today we just hit another notch of excitement as a Ministry and as a country having  Usman Kamaru who is nicknamed "Nightmare" in the country,” Dare said.

Kamaru who has a staggering 19 wins out of 20 fights has established himself as a top fighter in the Welterweight category. Kamaru embodies two cultures; Nigerian by birth and an American by immigration moved to the USA at the age of 8, and is returning  to the country for the first time as an adult.

The Minister added: "It is commendable for you to have identified fully with your country and also the Ministry that has the mandate for Sports Development.

“The Ministry is concerned with the large number of Youth who are engaged in sports and are interested in your kind of sports because it has become a rave because it falls under the radar of the Mixed Martial Arts and we are concerned about growing it.

“Having you here, as the champion it will be great to have you headline that and start to see how at a national level and as a country we can work together to see your success remain and to see you get other youths interested in this sport.

"Your story is well told, you signify the Nigerian Spirit; that of being dogged and rising to the top the feats you have achieved is no mean feat.

“For me, I can't say it enough; countries must leverage on their strength not dwell and emphasize their weaknesses and you have sign post the good from Nigeria.

“As  the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, we celebrate you and thank you for being a true Nigerian and remaining patrotic not just to share your success but to identify with the country.

“The greatest beneficiaries of this visit will be the youth of the country who are interested in the Mixed Martial Arts.”

Kamaru expressed his excitement to be in the country: "I'm delighted to be here and  above all  during my visit to the country I aim at creating a long lasting relationship.

“I represent Martial Arts now and I want to work on making it easily accessible to everyone interested.

“I understand the responsibilities that I have with my platform and I want to put that to good use  I want to be able effect changes and part of being able to effect change is creating that foundation so people can actually see a future, different from what they are now because I understand the restrictions.

“With my space I want to be able to create something that will pull interested people out."