Ondo State Government has formally appointed Sunday Akinwumi, the 12-year-old boy who won the maiden edition of the Idanre Hills climbing competition, tagged Mare, in 2009 as its Tourism Ambassador.The government stated that by this appointment, Sunday should no longer hawk fufu (a staple food made from cassava) on the streets.Sunday was 10 when he won the competition. He just returned from a trip to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, with his father, Pa Joseph Akinwumi. The trip, which was sponsored by the state government, was part of his winning package. The gifted boy is also enjoying state scholarship for winning the competition. The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, told our correspondent on Wednesday that Governor Olusegun Mimiko was not happy when he learnt that Sunday was still hawking fufu after school hours.He said the governor, who had approved the appointment of the young boy, took the step because hawking was synonymous with child labour.Akinmade said, "The governor has said that the boys parents should no longer subject him to such uncivilised treatment. "It is unfair because the young boy has made his family proud. It is his effort that gave his septuagenarian father the opportunity of travelling abroad."The state government has rewarded the young boy for his outstanding performance when he beat other contestants including foreign professional mountain climbers, to emerge the winner during the first edition of the Mare Festival."Apart from that, the government took the boy and his father to Dubai recently and bought a lot of things for them there. Such a boy should not be a subject of ridicule by his peers because he is now a role model, an Ondo ambassador of tourism," he added.Meanwhile, seven out of the 11 international mountain climbers invited by the state government from Spain and South Africa to participate in the third annual festival which will start on Friday, arrived in Idanre on Wednesday.The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in the state, Mr. Deji Falae, had told journalists at a news conference on Sunday that some of the foreign professional mountain climbers were already in the country.Falae had explained that the annual three-day fiesta would also involve marathon race, arts and cultural display and entertainment.He had described Idanre Hills as heritage and reference point for a Yoruba civilisation devoid of western culture and urbanisation.The commissioner also unfolded plans by the state government to mount a technical device either in form of a lift or a cable car to afford elderly people the opportunity of getting to the top of the mountain to see the old town. He said government had set $6,000(N940,200) as the prize money for the winner of the mountain climbing, while the first runner-up would get $4,000 (N626,800); and the second runner-up would get $2,000 (N313,400).
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