By our reporter 8-8-2025
Nigeria pro wrestlers and their foreign counterparts will converge in Awka, Anambra State for the twin purpose of immortalising late Mike Okpala a.k.a Power Mike and also show support for Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludu who is seeking reelection.
Speaking to media representatives Wednesday in Awka, Nigeria Pro Wrestling Federation president, Chief John Uche hinted that Nigerian and foreign professional wrestlers will clash at a Professional Wrestling Championship, billed for September 26-28, 2025 in honour of Power Mike and also a show of support to Governor Soludo. The event will hold at the Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka.
Power Mike was a pioneer Nigerian Pro wrestler who is popular worldwide. He was the first African Man to win the World Heavyweight title in professional wrestling before setting up the Power Mike International Promotions in 1976.
According to Chief Uche a golden trophy has been donated to immortalise the great wrestler. He said
Anambra State was chosen due to Professor Soludo’s support for the development of wrestling in the country.
“When in 2021, we wanted to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Federation, the US government published that its citizens should not come to Southeast Nigeria due to insecurity. So, we relocated the event to Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos,” Chief Uche noted.
“This year, we wrote to the governor and he found interest in it and endorsed it. Now that the governor has done a lot to rid the state of these criminal elements, we felt it would be proper to bring the event here and also use the opportunity to impress the need for the people of the state to support him for a second term.”
The NPWF president revealed that the event will witness wrestling competitions, where citizens of the state will be contesting alongside other professionals from other African countries.
He said, “There will be a wrestling championship and professional wrestlers from other African countries and the international world will converge to contest against our own in the country.
“An Anambra lady wrestler Joy Nwafor “Stylish J” will be fighting for African women’s title while Angus Emeadi “Executioner” will be defending his AWO light heavyweight title belt against a Congolese while wrestlers from France and the USA would also be coming.”
He revealed that as part of the Federation’s agenda to empower the youths positively, five restive youths will be selected from the 21 local government areas of Anambra State, who will be trained in the next six months and sent overseas for pro wrestling activities, where they will become responsible and useful to themselves, their family and then the nation at large.
“We are bringing foreign trainers from the UK and US to train the youths. These youths will go abroad and make money just like others, instead of staying back here and getting involved in crime and criminality,” he said.
Uche regretted that due to government neglect and poor management, professional wrestling had gone into extinction in the country, after it was introduced by former President Sheu Shagari as a means of human empowerment.
He worried that because of the setback, there are no young people to replace the ageing wrestlers, calling for government investment in professional wrestling as a way of empowering the youths.
“Nigerian wrestlers are ageing, and there is nobody to replace them. Very soon, the African Wrestling Championship will be going from one country to another, to ensure that the sport is developed.
“We have over 10,000 wrestlers in Nigeria, but due to a lack of facilities and funding, they don’t make any headway.
“The government only believes in amateur wrestling, which lasts for just about two, and after that what happens. That is why some of them engage in crime.
“Today, Cameroon, South Africa, Egypt, Congo, Togo and Benin Republic, and Botswana all fund professional wrestling. It is only in Nigeria that the government does not cater for professional wrestling. But all of us are taxpayers and by the time everybody is being organized in different ways of earning their living, the society will be better.
“We are appealing to the government to put in more efforts in building sports facilities that will help the Federation train more youths and make them self-reliant and positively engaged,” Uche appealed.
He added that sports will grow with good governance, he called on citizens to give Prof Soludo another mandate.
“ We want more good roads, more bridges, youth empowerment, skills acquisition, more solution fun cities, good stadiums, and more indoor sports halls.
“We have brought this timely championship to Anambra State because of his good governance projects” Uche concluded.