Lai: Anthony Joshua says he wants to give back to Nigeria – we’ll invite him

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says Nigeria will invite Anthony Joshua, world heavyweight champion, to the country.

At the weekend, Joshua, who is of Nigerian descent, defeated Wladimir Klitschko, a far more experienced boxer, to emerge heavyweight champion.

In a statement issued by Segun Adeyemi, media aide of the minister, on Tuesday, Mohammed congratulated the pugilist on his feat.

He said the government would invite him to the country since he had indicated he would like to give something back to Nigeria.

The minister said Nigeria was proud to be associated with the new unified world champion, whose Nigerian heritage he has publicly acknowledged.

“My heart is in Nigeria, My heart is in Britain. I am a Nigerian man by blood, yes,” he quoted Joshua as saying in a recent interview, during which the boxer also said the secret of his success was eating pounded yam, eba and egusi.

He hailed Joshua for his humility, despite his success in boxing, and his undying spirit, coming off the canvas after he was knocked down by Klitschko in the sixth round to win by a technical knockout in the 11th round of their pulsating fight.

“Alhaji Mohammed said the government will soon invite the new world heavyweight champion to Nigeria, especially as he has said he is looking forward to giving something back to the country‎,” the statement read.