By Richard Elesho
The Third edition of the World Aviation Forum, WAF got underway Monday in Abuja with a Durbar and a Polo tournament. No fewer than 40 Ministers of Aviation and representatives from 70 countries converged to grace the occassion. The sporting ceremony held in the expansive premises of Guards Polo Club.
The sporting ceremony was preceded by a colourful durbar hosted by the Emir of Keffi, Shehu Chindo Yamusa III. The durbar was immediately followed by an exhibition match between the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC).
After about 45 minutes of hostilities, the ICAO team defeated the AFCAC team 6-4 at the end.
The victorious ICAO team was led by the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika (+1) and had Idris Badamasi (+3), Bashir Dantata (+3) and the country’s number one-ranked player, Bello Buba (+4).
The AFCAC team on the other hand boasted of players such as Abdulmalik Badamasi (+3), Khalifa Maitashi (+3), Jamilu Mohammed (+3) and the Guards Polo Club Chairman/Captain, Mustapha Junaidu.
The first chukka began with Abdulmalik Badamasi opening scoring for the AFCAC team barely 50 seconds after the blast of the umpire’s whistle.
Mohammed added a second in the second chukka, but Buba pulled one back for ICAO to make it 2-1 at the end of the first chukka. Following goals by other players including Sirika, the ICAO team carried the day.
The winning team was presented with the prestigious Georgian Cup by the Minister of Defence, Mannir Dan Ali.
Other guests at the occasion were FCT Minister Muhammad Bello, Imo Deputy Governor Eze Madumere and Saleh Dunoma, the Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Also present were representatives of the World Bank, African Development Bank, manufacturers of planes and aviation equipment, among others.
Sirika in a brief remark extolled the values of Polo game and said Nigeria was excited to host WAF-3.