The CEO of AYICRIP -NELIS Football Academy, Ambassador Chris Ibeh has told the story of the journey so far as the academy’s vision of building a better society remains intact.
He spoke with Sports247 at the Legacy Pitch in Lagos on Monday, 20 January 2025 during the talent exhibition match of the academy.
Chris, who is the coordinating leader of the Africa Youth Initiative on Crime Prevention (AYICRIP ) and Japan’s Next Leaders Initiative for Sustainability ( NELIS) said their aim is to bring out the best of young people using football as a vehicle to produce professional players and community leaders and crime prevention.
The soft spoken Chris Ibeh shared a bit of the journey so far, in achieving this noble objective.
“It’s been three years since we have been on this journey , though we have not gotten to our destination, but we are on track”, Ibeh said.
Speaking further on where they are on the transformative journey which has the backing of the Japanese Taiyo Foundation.
“We are now having kids who were once drug addicts who are now sober after joining the academy. They are not going back to drugs, those that are hopeless, into street vices are now thinking of a great future in football.
A lot of them now believe in the round leather and now see themselves as a role model and as a successful person in the nearest future “.
He spoke in the challenges facing the academy, which accommodation to keep the players in pepper hostel for closer care and monitoring
“We need accommodation, lots of them are from poor homes, trekking from far distances before getting to training. We want to feed them and make them comfortable as much as possible . We are also thinking of giving them different skills , for those who won’t make it to become a professional footballer, so that they won’t be a loser if football fails.” Ibeh stated.
On the level of support the academy in order to achieve all the laudable aims , he said support is coming from Japan but he needed more from Nigerians.
“We have been getting support from Japan, NELIS, Taiyo foundation, they have been lots of logistics, they are ones that provided the jerseys the players are wearing today, we are calling on Nigerians to alsosupport this project .” said Ibeh.
