Sports
NNPC/TEPNC’S OML 58 Competition To Promote Peace, Reconciliation
Grassroot football players showing off their skills
The 2015 edition of the
NNPC/TEPNG Football competition for the OML 58 host communities in Rivers State, which is the 14th edition has been earmarked for peace and reconciliation in the areas.
This indication was underlined during the opening ceremony of the competition held yesterday at Okah High School, Elele Okinali in Ikwerre local government area.
Speaking in his keynote address, the Executive General Manager, Operations, Mr. Jean-Claude Vachet expressed the Joint venture’s pride to identify with the noble project as part of their commitment to encourage and empower the youth through active engagement and skills training that will promote sustainable socio-economic development.
The football competition is one of the community relations programmes aimed at strengthening unity, peace and love between the company and her host communities and Mr. Vachet described this 14th edition as a special with the theme, “playing for peace, Reconciliation.
Mr. Vachet, who was represented by the Community Affairs Services Manager. Mr Obara Okechukwu, said because of security challenges currently beleaguering the communities, the usual age restriction was kept aside.
“I want to say that this year 16 teams will start the campaign towards one goal of winning the competition. Ubrama and Abarikpo are featured for the first time, both teams are drawn from the Ekpeye Kingdom” Okechukwu said.
He explained that the management of Total E &P Nigeria Limited and their joint venture partners are committed to supporting the annual competition.
The community affairs services manager, used the forum to appeal to all participating teams to make new friends through this tournament.
“I Thank the organizing committee for putting this competition together. I also advise players to respect technical officials, tournament to achieve success” He stated.
Earlier the chairman of the occasion, Chief Omieneokuma Kile, urged the participating teams to use the competition as a platform to foster peace and friendliness in the communities.
“Football is a friendly game, as such I urge you to be happy. I also advice you to take the game seriously to enable you grow from grassroots to international level” Chief Kile added.
The opening match was between defending champions, Erema United FC, Idu and Ubrama FC.
Tonye Orubere
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.