Sports
Use Sports To Promote Peace, LG Boss Tells Nigerians
The Chairman, Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Mr Eni-Uduma Chima has stressed the need for Nigerians to use sports to promote peace, love and brotherhood, especially among people living in the rural communities.
Chima spoke yesterday at Ekoli Ukwu community in Edda, Afikpo South Local Government Area, at the grand finale of the Ekoli Ukwu Unity Football Competition.
According to him, sports, especially football competition serves as a uniting factor which provides people the platform to come together, associate and create a common bond that could be harnessed to promote unity among people from different socio-cultural backgrounds.
He said that the Ekoli Ukwu Unity Football tournament which began some 28 years ago, had provided a platform to foster unity, peace, love and oneness among the 24 villages that make up the community.
He said that the tournament had served as a source of talent discovery, noting that many hidden soccer talents had been discovered through the football event.
“The football tournament is what every indigene of Ekoli Ukwu looks forward to December of every year and it has helped in discovering many football talents from the area.
“Every village in the community participates in this epoch making competition, which has grown from good to better and has endured for 28 years since it was inaugurated.
“The football event is a uniting force which has provided a platform for our people to come together in love, in unity and in peace, irrespective of economic or social status, “ Chima aid.
Chima, the sole sponsor of the football competition since 2007, commended the football teams for their peaceful conduct during the 13-day soccer event and extolled the organisational dexterity of the organising committee.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.