Coach Monday Aigbe passes
by George Akpayen 18 December 2012, 06:02
Team Delta's swimming head coach, Monday Aigbe, has passed on, supersport.com has been informed.
Aigbe, who guided the Delta swimming contingent to win its event at the last edition of the Nigerian National Sports Festival, Eko 2012, in Lagos, died last Thursday in a hospital in Okwani area of Delta State.
"It is a sad news that we have lost a very hardworking man in Monday Aigbe, who ensured that Delta State is regarded as a powerhouse in swimming in Nigeria. It is a big loss to Delta State and also the nation," a member of the board of Nigeria Swimming Federation (NSF), Stephen Onyeacholam, told supersport.com on Monday.
"From information I got, he was said to have complained of high blood pressure and he was taken to hospital where unfortunately he died. It's sad because it is just hours before the governor (Emmanuel Uduaghan) honours Team Delta for winning the 18th National Sports Festival."
Onyeacholam, who was Director of Sports, Technical with the Delta State Sports Commission until last year, described the late swimming coach as an "intelligent man."
"He was an intelligent man and he produced a number of very good swimmers for Delta. And as Delta swimming coach, he won the swimming event in the last two edition of the sports festival and that is no mean feat. So he has left the world with an indelible mark," said Onyeacholam.
Aigbe led the Delta swimming team to win 24 gold medals out of 40 available for the sport at the just-concluded Eko 2012.
In 2011 during the 17th edition of the National Sports Festival in Rivers State, he coached Delta to win 20 gold medals in the swimming event.
