A new vista has been opened in the area of football academies in Nigeria with the formal launch of the Felix Akiga Football Academy in Makurdi, Benue State courtesy of former Nigerian basketball international, Chief Felix Akiga.
At an impressive ceremony held in Makurdi, the Benue State capital recently, the Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom who was represented by his deputy, Engr. Benson Abounu commended the initiative by Akiga noting that what it means is that Benue State will remain the home of top football stars.
“This is a good initiative that is in line with our campaign promises of creating a conducive environment for our youths and getting them off the streets. Education and sports is the key to having an excellent and vibrant youth that can hold their own anywhere in the world. It is in line with our electoral promises that we’re identifying with this dream.
“To imagine that this project is coming from basketball player is commendable. We’re therefore donating an expanse of land towards making the project a reality knowing that the benefits will be very rewarding.”
The Director General National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Al-hassan Yakmut in his address, which was read by Idris Gidado, an assistant director in the commission said that given the statutory roll the NSC is charged with in sports development, they cannot but identify with the private sector in the development of sports in the country.
“The NSC is proud to identify with this project and welcome the private sector participation in the development of sports. It’s important that our athletes fuse sports with education. This academy has set out to hunt and identify talents. It suits our programme of developing sports at the grassroots. We’ll give this our support,” he stated.
Akiga, the chief executive of Choice Leisure Limited with hotels in Makurdi, Zaria, Abuja, Obudu and Dubai, while shedding light on the project said the academy is to bridge the gap and get players to understand that contracts are not just signed for the sake of it, but must be thoroughly read and understood before putting pen to paper.
“Many Nigerian athletes don’t understand the contracts they sign and those who manage them only exploit them for their personal gains. Sports have become scientific and must be understood as such. Prominent players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo don’t just play the way they do; they are calculative in their ball work because they have gone through a structured process,” he stated.
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