By TINA TIMOTHY

A professional two time kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) World Champion, Loveth Patra Ekufu aka The Nigerian Terminator has said that watching Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock has made her dream come true.

Patra, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP) of Police, disclosed this while delivering her speech at a press conference entitled "The unveiling of Loveth Patra aka The Nigerian Terminator and her project held on Thursday, April 11, 2024 in Lagos.

"Each time I watch 'The Rock' being who he is, after shooting movies, he still goes to the ring to entertain people. I said come on, why can't we bring this thing to Nigeria? We have our superstars, we have our celebrities from every means of life, they aren't different from The Rock so we can make that happen in Nigeria, we can create that fame in Nigeria, we can create that tourist attraction in Nigeria and that was what brought out this whole idea. I was able to reach out to the wrestling federation of Nigeria, I reached out to my president," she said.

Touching the President of the Kickboxing Federation of Nigeria, Wilson Okon, the first female fighter in Africa and Nigeria in history to win kickboxing and MMA World Championship title belts said "let me tell you something. This man here is my rock of my striving today. My first kickboxing championship, gold medal world championship, he was the one that took me to Germany from nowhere, he discovered me, from nowhere he discovered me. After he watched me perform in one of the championships, he said, you are good, I'm going to surprise you. Before I knew it, he called me and said where is your international passport. I said I don't have it, I don't know how to do it.Next thing, your passport is ready, come to Lagos, your visa will be ready. In a week, my visa was ready. I will say, I was catapulted from Nigeria to Germany. With the team of Nigeria, I got the gold championship for Nigeria. That was my first international championship, so everywhere you see me, I'm like his handbag because you cannot forget your roots. He is my rock and I'll continue to thank him for giving me that rock to stand. I'm very grateful."

While thanking the organisers, Amb Cornell Udofia Media and CORNEL Entertainment, the Wrestling Federation of Nigeria, the Actors Guild of Nigeria, the media and everyone, she implored all to support her upcoming event, EKO Celebrity Global Fight Concert which will take place at Queen's Park Event Center, Lekki Lagos on November 29 to December 1, 2024, adding "I cannot do it alone, I need people, I need you all to partner with us to make this dream a reality."

Eminent celebrities and personalities who graced the event and made contributions include: Vice President of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Zaaki Azzay; Award winning movie producer and Convener of National Integrity Award, Gladiator Eno Udo; veteran Nollywood actor, director and producer of over two decades, Amb. Dr. Chris Akwarandu; female record owner, Mecfanny; the Microphone General, Amb. Dr. Champion; fast rising music artist, Sllip Knot, President of the Kickboxing Federation of Nigeria, Wilson Okon; Africa's most prolific media and P.R strategist, Amb. Cornell Udofia, representatives of the Wrestling Federation of Nigeria, among others.