…….awards cash prices to participating teams
By Lucky Isibor
The African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) has ended its 2024 Youth Soccer Tournament in Benin City, doling out prices of close to half a million naira to the participating teams.
Defending champions of the tournament, Ogbe Football Club of Benin retained the title in a keenly contested final march by beating Santex Football Club of Benin 5 -4 goals via penalty shootouts.
The football tournament tagged “building youth resilience against crime” which was organised by ANEEJ in collaboration with NEEM Foundation is part of the series of Micro campaign against youth participation in crime under the Brighter Futures Project supported by UKAID. The tournament brought together 4 youth teams that have completed the project’s crime resilience and mentorship sessions.
Addressing the teams and other youths at the commencement of the final marches held on Saturday, 4 May at the Edo State School of Health Technology Mini Stadium, Benin City, ANEEJ Delivery Partner, Victor Oriakhi urged the youths to stay away from organised crimes such as drug abuse, irregular migration, cultism and cyber crime popularly know as ‘yahoo’.
While noting that the youths can build a fulfilling career in football and other sporting activities, Oriakhi urged them to change their mindset, stay away from bad friends and build resilience against the lure of crime and criminality.
“Brighter future training for youths is all about guiding the youths so that they will not be manipulated or disoriented by friends, so that they’ll not be influenced by pair groups to fall into crimes because they need to survive. And if you look around now the youths of nowadays are not willing to work hard and have patience, they want to make it fast. So we are trying to talk to them so that they will not be discouraged or manipulated by their friends because of the situation we find ourselves they have to look for other means of survival.
“We are looking at four major forms of crime, cyber crime, popularly called ‘yohoo’, irregular migration where people have to go through the land to cross the sea to Europe and suffering a lot of ordeal to get to their destinations. We are equally looking at drug abuse. Drug abuse is now very common in our communities. Those we are addressing are adolescents who are easily switched from one discision to another. Girls are also being lured into drug abuse now.
“We also talk of cultism. You’re aware of so many things that have been happening in Benin City in the last two years, youths killing themselves for nothing.
“Basically we are trying to encourage them to have the right mindset of doing the right thing so that they don’t fall prey to crime because they want to survive and even the ones that are already working they need to be guided because the prices of goods and services are increasing in geometric proportions and our incomes are not growing. So the youths working need to be guided so that they don’t fall into crimes to get additional income to support their meagre income”.
Speaking with newsmen at the end of the tournament, the Edo State representative of NEEM Foundation, Miss Amaka Nnabuife pointed out that the aim of the tournament is to assist the participating youths to realise themselves and do better in life, rather than engaging in crime
“The aim of this football tournament for the youths is to encourage them to realise themselves and begin to do better in life instead of involving in crime, crimes like cultist, cyber crime, irregular migration and drug abuse. The essence of this football tournament is to encourage them to participate in different competitions, be engaged meaningfully and be able to resist organised crimes. We are doing this to let them know that there’s life in sports, that they can engage in any form of sporting activity to improve and empower themselves instead of participating in organised crime in the society”.
Also speaking, ANEEJ Procurement Officer, Mr. Kelly Ovie Umukoro noted that the project is to engage the youths meaningfully and realise that they can live a better and fulfilled life without engaging in crime.
“This project seeks to take the youths on the streets from crime because it is said that ‘the idle mind is the devil’s workshop’. The project seeks to ensure that youths are not involved in crime and social vices. We are saying no to irregular migration, no to drug abuse, no to cyber crime, no to cultism. This is the message we’re preaching. I’m very happy the way the tournament went today, you can see the resilience of the youths, you see the way they play, they’re able to show that sports can bring a new mindset; you see the way they celebrate. The mindset this project has created in them will become a new norm for the youths”.
Coach of the champions of the tournament, Ogbe Football Club, Kelly Ese said he’s elated that his team won the tournament again this year and thanked ANEEJ and NEEM Foundation for assisting to groom young players, educate youths and prepare them to live a life devoid of crime.
High point of the closing ceremony was the presentation of cash awards and football to the participating teams.
The winner of the tournament, Ogbe Football Club got N150,000, the runners up got N100,000 while the second runners up, Ogwa Football Club went home with N75,000 and the fourth place team, Utesi Football Club got N50,000.
Youths from various quarters in the Benin metropolis came up in their numbers to cheer up their darling teams.