The Federal Government has hailed the organisers of the Kingdom Unity Games Abuja (KUGA), Kingdom Star Sports International Fountain (KSSIF) for bringing together youths in the FCT through its maiden football tournament, which serves as a platform to promote peace and unity and also for engaging the youths positively.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, while giving the commendation, said the competition aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Tinubu’s administration, with a focus on youth engagement, growth and development through sports and other platforms that inspire hope and nurture talents.
Represented by Professor Bolaji Bernard, the SGF said the government is committed to initiatives that propel the youths to greater heights, just as he called on wealthy Nigerians and corporate bodies to provide an avenue for youths to excel.
“On behalf of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I wish to express our appreciation to the organisers of this remarkable event, especially Ambassador Solomon Omonokhua and the Chairman of the Kingdom Sports Centre, General Christopher Musa.
“This initiative resonates with our national agenda. The President believes in empowering young people and fostering unity through strategic avenues like sports. We fully support initiatives like this and encourage private individuals and organisations to contribute to youth and sports development. General Musa and the Kingdom Sports Stars team have shown remarkable passion and dedication.
“When it comes to sports, religion and ethnicity disappear. Whether Muslim, Christian, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo or from any background, we come together as Nigerians. That is the true spirit we must preserve and promote,” the SGF stated.
The representative of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, Air Vice Marshal Nanjul Kumzhi, said the importance of sports in the society cannot be overemphasised.
“Sports can never be overemphasised. First, we need to keep fit. And like we’ve heard, sports have become an economic tool. Coming to the side of the military, we know Nigeria is plunged into insecurity. And so, the Chief of Defence Staff has taken it upon himself to use sports as a non-kinetic approach to solve the problem of insecurity in Nigeria.
“So at all times wherever youths are gathered, we find ourselves there because once we pull them off the streets, they shun social vices. That’s why the Chief of Defence Staff is very particular about the use of sports to pick the youths off the streets,” Air Vice Marshal Kumzhi, who is the Director of Sports at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), stated.
The convener of the Games, Ambassador Solomon Omonokhua, said the main objective of the competition was to promote unity and identify talents who can export their skills to Europe and make Nigeria proud.
“This competition is more than football. It’s all about promoting unity among the youths and identifying talents. It is about building bridges among churches, fostering peace and unity in the country. And most importantly, providing a platform for our youth to showcase their gifts. We are hopeful that some of the players here will catch the eye of scouts and clubs, and in turn, bring pride to Nigeria,” he said.
At the end of hostilities, Team Dunamis emerged as champions after defeating ECWA Wumba by a lone goal and carted home N600,000 prize money. Wumba also smiled home with N300,000 for their efforts.
ECWA Kwali had earlier won the third-place match after edging ECWA Karasana also by a lone goal to claim the N100,000 as the third-best team.
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