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Senate President Godswill Akpabio has called on football officials to find new stars at the local level so that Nigeria can field national teams in the future.
He promised that steps will be taken to establish the Senate President’s U-18 Unity Cup as an annual event, with the goal of identifying and developing young players to bring back the glory days of Nigerian football.
In Abuja, the second edition of the 10th Senate President’s U-18 Unity Cup got underway, and Senator Akpabio made sure everyone knew about it.
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The competition began on Sunday at the Old Parade Ground, Garki, Abuja, and twenty-one teams—fifteen male and five female—from around the country gathered in the capital on Saturday.
Represented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports Development, Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, Senator Akpabio described the young players as future stars who could go on to represent Nigeria at both continental and global football competitions.
If the grassroots are ignored, the Senate President claims, sports, and football in particular, will fail. “I said,” he continued,
You can’t build sports in Nigeria without starting at the local level, and these young guys are demonstrating that promise.
These tournaments used to be where Nigeria’s greats like the Late Keshi, Okocha, Kanu, Amokachi, Ikpebas, and Tijani Babangidas were found.
President Bola Tinubu has sent a strong message by prioritising sports, thus it is imperative that sports administrators take use of the chance the president has presented during the past two years. “Business as usual” is not acceptable, he avowed.
Senator Akpabio lauded GRASOF, the Grassroots Sports Federation, for their unwavering commitment to hosting the competition, and he hailed the event as a golden chance to elevate the sports industry and provide promising young footballers a better chance at a future in the sport.
Tournament organiser Hon. John Bassey Ekpenyong thanked Senator Akpabio for acknowledging the significance of such events in fostering the growth of young athletes and sports in his opening remarks. He emphasised the importance of hosting the competition every year, saying that it would provide young players a chance to hone their football skills.
This platform promotes togetherness, sportsmanship, and national development, and it will continue to benefit future generations of Nigerian children. With your guidance, we have faith that this competition has the potential to become a showcase event for the Senate, motivating and uplifting the young of Nigeria for many years to come,” he stated.
In the opening game, Jaguar Football Club of Abia State defeated Amahus Football Club of Yobe 1–0. At Abuja’s Old Parade Ground in Garki, the contest is still ongoing.