How Makoko slum kids treated former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua

Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua had a rousing welcome Saturday at Makoko, one of Lagos slums he visited on his tour of Nigeria.

During his visit to Makoko, Joshua met with children and fans, took selfies, and did a boxing demo with the star-dazzled slum kids that thronged the venue of the event.

Adult females in the slum area also were excited seeing Joshua’s mother, Yetunde, who was with the heavyweight boxer during the visit.

The Makoko kids said the coming of Joshua to the area has inspired them to be ambitious.

In their special presentation for the pugilist, the children urged prominent personalities in society not to look down on them but rather help them.

Alade Mariam, one of the handlers of slum development initiatives in the area also spoke on behal of the children.

“With me here are beneficiaries of Slum2School (project), who are very grateful and excited to have you here,’ she said.

“We wanted to host you in our STEM and Innovation Laboratory, but we chose to have it here so that you can see the treasures in this community like us, who are talented, educated and ambitious like you. All we need are people who believe in us like you.

“We like every child in the community to get the same opportunity that you had many years back, so that they can be transformed, they can transform this society and Nigeria at large.”

During question time, the residents asked Joshua why he wasn’t boxing for Nigeria and the age he started boxing.

My father and mother left Nigeria for the United Kingdom when they were 25 years old. and I was born there. So Istarted fighting at the age of 18,” he responded.

Others at the event were Timi Dakolo, Tonye Cole and others.

The founder of the centre, Otto Orondaam, took those present on a tour of the Makoko community to meet the residents.