Oyi Local Government Area football team on Saturday, 6th May 2023 defeated their counterparts from Dunukofia by a lone goal in the maiden edition of the 2023 Brainbox Football League organized by the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) in partnership with the Anambra State Football Association (ANSFA) for the 21 Local Government Areas in the state.
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The encounter played at the Awka City Stadium saw Paul Nnamdi’s solitary strike in the 48th minute for the Oyi side to see off their opponents in a competition bankrolled by Brainbox Sports Foundation Managing Director and Chief Executive, Mr Samuel Ezeugo.
According to the sponsor, the winner of the competition will smile home with the sum of N3 million, while the 1st and 2nd Runners Up will each smile home with the sum of N2 million and N1 million respectively. Individual awards for the Best Goalkeeper, Best Player of the Tournament and Highest Goal Scorer will each be rewarded with the sum of N100,000.
In his remarks, the state Chairman of the NYCN, Amb. Surveyor Obi Emeka Chukwudi stated that as football is a unifying factor, the council is using the beautiful game to unite the entire youth in the state and engage them meaningfully. Comrade Chukwudi highlighted the support of the present administration under His Excellency Prof. Charles Soludo through the ‘One Youth Two Skills’ programme to empower the youths, he also acknowledged the support of the Honourable Commissioner for Youth Empowerment, Hon. Patrick Agha Mba while urging the youths to make the best out of the ongoing tournament.
Also speaking, the Manager of Brainbox Sports Foundation, Comrade Ifeanyichukwu Nwoye who spoke on behalf of the sponsor stated that the love for the game by the benefactor and the will to provide a platform for the youths in the state to showcase their God’s given talent is the motivation behind the competition. Nwoye posited that the competition has come to stay and will be an annual event in the sports program of the NYCN. He further disclosed that Brainbox Foundation intends to host the entire state and ensure the competition will be an annual event.
On his part, the Chairman of, the Anambra State Football Association (ANSFA), Chief Chikelue Iloenyosi commended the Brainbox Sports Foundation for their magnanimity in accepting to bankroll the football programme which is a brainchild of the NYCN. He emphasized that the ANSFA is here to support such initiative and provide immense technical support in ensuring that the competition is hitch free from the start to the termination of the event.
Reacting also, the Senior Special Assistant to Anambra State Government on Security, Hon. Chiejina Anthony Obieze described the football programme as laudable as it is essential in uniting the youths of the state. Hon. Obieze applauded the CEO of Brainbox Sports Foundation for keying into the ‘Akuluo uno’ philosophy by bankrolling the competition which he described as a right step in the right direction.
As part of activities to spice up the competition opener, there was a roadshow by members of the NYCN from the 21 LGAs from Alex Ekwueme Square at Aroma to the Awka City Stadium, paramilitary display, quarter guard performance and march past.
Also present during the event were the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Hon. Tony Collins Nwabunwanna; Commissioner for Youth Development, Hon. Patrick Agha Mba; MD/CEO Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), Mr Mark Okoye and other government appointees.
