Abuja: A Beehive of Sports Activities - Latest Spots in Nigeria

Abuja: A Beehive of Sports Activities

By Taofeek Lawal

Taofeek Lawal takes a look at sporting activities in Abuja and how the Directorate of Sports in the FCT and the Football Association (FA) in the nation’s capital have kept the youths busy through positive engagement for leisure and career development

The appointment of Sunday Dare, an accomplished ICT guru and journalist, as the Minister of Sports and Youth Development on August 21, 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari can be said to be a sign of good omen for sports in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. His appointment indirectly has heralded more participation in sports activities in the nation’s capital with boys and girls, old and the young, paramilitary and security agencies competing in one sports or other either for recreation, participation or career advancement.

The FCT Directorate of Sports, superintended by Chief Mrs Dilichukwu Onyedinma, has done a lot for sports in the FCT in the years that she has been in the saddle before her recent elevation as the Acting Secretary of the FCT Social Development Secretariat. Dilichukwu, not a greenhorn when it comes to sports administration in Nigeria, was a former head of Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) and former executive member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Her period as head of NWFL witnessed the dominance of the senior female national football team, the Super Falcons, in Africa and also the women league was well organised. Her sporting acumen and sincerity of purpose has revitalized sports in Abuja especially among schools whose students are competing well in sports ranging from basketball, gymnastics, athletics, football to mention just a few. FCT has also made inroads and has improved its rankings in the National Sports Festival (NSF) and the National Youth Games (NYG).

Dilichukwu in an interview she granted in interview late last year predicted that the fast-approaching NSF, code-named ‘Edo 2020’, will be the toughest ever as FCT is ready to give perennial performers like Delta, Lagos and Edo States a run for their money. She said the NYG has set a pedestal for Team FCT to step up its performance in Edo through talents that have been discovered and nurtured by FCT.

“The National Sports Festival (Edo 2020) is not going to be a tea party because FCT hopes to compete against the big four; Edo, Delta, Rivers and Lagos State. At the National Youth Games, we saw many states looking for young talents that they can pouch ahead of the National Sports Festival which makes it more difficult for states like Delta and Rivers who have been more dominant in poaching athletes from other states. Our target is to perform better than our last position at the last National Sports Festival in Abuja,” the FCT director of sports said.

The moribund FCT Football League has been resuscitated by Alhaji Adam Mouktar Mohammed, who has breathed fresh air into the league since his election as FA chairman last year June. Under his leadership, the Area 3 Sports Ground has become a Mecca of sort for football stakeholders who throng the arena to witness best of football displayed by young boys who can easily fit in into any of the age grade national teams. The FCT Football Association (FCT FA) boss has also gone extra mile to sign heart-warming Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with some leading football partners, the recent being the one with Bundesliga perennial champions, Bayern Munich and Italian giants, Juventus FC. Mouktar Mohammed who has spent less than a year in office has changed the face of football in the FCT for good. He was elected on June 28, 2019 but he has hit the ground running by giving facilities in the city facelift, training the players and also not forgetting the coaches by upgrading and updating their skills of the round leather game.

“We came in with a zeal and promise that we will do our best to revive football and the fortune of football in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). We had an agenda and we talked about reviving facilities, training and retraining of players and developing them and also the retaining of coaches and referees and capacity building for the administrators too. That is what we have been doing. We have given the Area 3 football pitch a facelift; we improved the grass at the Area 10 pitch. We trained 20 coaches all expend paid to the National Institute for Sports (NIS) in Lagos for the basic course. The coaches were drawn across the six Area Councils. We have also put up a U-15 team that has gone on to compete in the Bayern Munich Youth Cup qualification to Germany. Two boys from the FCT have been selected to travel in May. We have also had capacity training for coaches which centres on fitness awareness,” the FA chairman told newspeakonline.com.
Mouktar Mohammed has also introduced a new dimension to FCT football by introducing the Beach Soccer tournament which kicks off this weekend. Mouktar Mohammed has also introduced a new dimension to FCT football by introducing the Beach Soccer tournament which kicks off this weekend. Beach soccer teams from Lagos, Kebbi and Kwara States are being expected at the Jabi Lake Beach Soccer Pitch, the tournament’s venue. Mohammed said he has enjoyed tremendous support from the media and other football stakeholders in the FCT. The FCT Football League has been revived with teams across the six Area Councils participating. According to the FA boss, the league remains the focal point of the administration and it is through it (the league) that sponsors, supporters and fans alike will throng the match venues and add glamour to the round leather game.
Mohammed, who has a cordial relationship with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the nation’s football governing body, with a lot of connections in the football world, believes that in the next few years, football in the FCT will be a force to be reckoned with and players discovered will perfectly fit in into any of the national teams. He said getting sponsors have not been easy but some corporate organizations are beginning to identify with the FA.

“Sponsors don’t just come like that, they want a situation whereby they can see the level of work you are doing, the level of integrity and how accountable you will be when they release their resources or funds to you. It takes time but already we have started seeing a lot of interest from sponsors and if you go there (sport centres) now, you will see the billboards and these are all companies and organizations that have agreed to partner with us and I assure that by next season, we will be making profits from running the league,” he said.

@@@

In this interview with Taofeek Lawal, FCT FA chairman, Alhaji Adam Mouktar Mohammed, talked about his board was able to revive the FCT football league which has gone comatose for years, his relationship with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) among other issues.

When did you come into office and what have you be doing to change the face of football in the FCT

We were elected into office on 28th June, 2019 and that means we are still less than a year in the office. We came in with a zeal and promise that we will do our best to revive football and the fortune of football in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). We had an agenda and we talked about reviving facilities, training and retraining of players and developing them and also the retaining of coaches and referees and capacity building for the administrators too. That is what we have been doing. We have given the Area 3 football pitch a facelift; we improved the grass at the Area 10 pitch. We trained 20 coaches all expend paid to the National Institute for Sports (NIS) in Lagos for the basic course. The coaches were drawn across the six Area Councils. We have also put up a U-15 team that has gone on to compete in the Bayern Munich Youth Cup qualification to Germany. Two boys from the FCT have been selected to travel in May. We have also had capacity training for coaches which centres on fitness awareness. We have been doing a lot and now we have revived the Beach Soccer. At the Jabi Park, we are going to do an invitational tournament this weekend (February 14 to 16) where we are inviting beach soccer teams from Kwara, Kebbi and Lagos to compete with our team. But the Abuja team is starting from the scratch but we are trying to build it and the media has in promoting this beautiful game and already the city is excited to see something new.

The FCT FA League has been revived now courtesy of your board. What informed the decision to bring the league back after a long hiatus?

Whatever we are going to do for football have to be on the pitch to revive the game and the league is the most important aspect of football because that is where talents get regular chance to play football on a weekly basis. We felt the league is the focal point of our administration and reviving it will give us the chance to attract sponsors, supporters, fans and then football can have a new lease of life in the FCT and that is exactly what we have done.
Have you been able to attract sponsors with what you have done so far? Are there signs that sponsors will come out to support you?

Of course, it has been a bad patch. Sponsors don’t just come like that they want a situation whereby they can see the level of work you are doing, the level of integrity and how accountable you will be when they release their resources or funds to you. It takes time but already we have started seeing a lot of interest from sponsors and if you go there (sport centres) now, you will see the billboards and these are all companies and organizations that have agreed to partner with us and I assure that by next season, we will be making profits from running the league.

You just signed memorandum of understanding (MoUs) with great clubs like Bayern Munich and Juventus. How do you link up with these clubs and they accepted your proposals?

I have a good name and I have been in football for over two decades and I have a lot of friends across football around the world. They know what I can do a and they believe in my project and they agreed to come and promote and develop football. Few days ago, we just signed an agreement with the Hungarian Embassy to promote and develop different aspect of football which makes it very interesting because whatever we are going to do, we need technical support from around the world and we need as much opportunity as possible for the players, the coaches and the referees to get opportunities to showcase themselves to the world.
As the chairman of the FCT FA, what is your relationship with the national body, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) considering the fact that you are the closest to them?

It is a symbiotic relationship. I am part of the congress which is the most powerful body in the country as far as football is concerned. FCT FA is an affiliation of the NFF which is the national body. The relationship is very cordial and very good and we look up to them for continued leadership and support. Within our jurisdiction which is the FCT, the capital of Nigeria, we are doing our best and they (NFF) have been giving us the necessary support that we need.

What relationship do you have with the National School Sports Federation (NSSF) which is the real grassroots where students are picked and nurture them into stardom?

We believe that they are very important body that we must partner with at all times. We are partnering with FCT School Board and of course, the NSSF and the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON). We have and they believe in my project and they agreed to come and promote and develop football. Few days ago, we just signed an agreement with the Hungarian Embassy to promote and develop different aspect of football which makes it very interesting because whatever we are going to do, we need technical support from around the world and we need as much opportunity as possible for the players, the coaches and the referees to get opportunities to showcase themselves to the world.
As the chairman of the FCT FA, what is your relationship with the national body, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) considering the fact that you are the closest to them?

It is a symbiotic relationship. I am part of the congress which is the most powerful body in the country as far as football is concerned. FCT FA is an affiliation of the NFF which is the national body. The relationship is very cordial and very good and we look up to them for continued leadership and support. Within our jurisdiction which is the FCT, the capital of Nigeria, we are doing our best and they (NFF) have been giving us the necessary support that we need.

What relationship do you have with the National School Sports Federation (NSSF) which is the real grassroots where you can pick the students from and nurture them into stardom?

We believe that they are very important body that we must partner with at all times. We are partnering with FCT School Board and of course, the NSSF and the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON). We attend all the competitions that they come up with so that we are well represented and also as another way to develop the talents within the FCT. We hope and believe that in the next few years, we will have a lot of players from the FCT in teams around the world and the national league in the country.
Where do you want to see your board at least before the end of your first term and what target have you set for yourself?

We have set reasonable target and we are not making empty promises. We want to improve facilities like the beach soccer facilities in the Area Councils. We want to improve the standard of the stadia in the Area Councils so that football can be played there. We have reduced our affiliation fees and the FA Cup fees. The FA Cup fees used to be N60,000 now it is N40,000 so that everybody can afford it. We also want more football academies to be affiliated to us and in line with that, we have reduced it to N25,000 from N50,000. It is huge achievements on our part because already we have seen rapid results and we have seen people coming to us and we have received calls from across the country to encourage us to do more. People have seen change of events in the FCT. Nigeria belongs to everybody and most importantly, it is the nation’s capital. Whatever we are doing, the world is seeing and they are appreciating us.

What support are you getting from ex internationals that are resident in Abuja?

A lot of support and in fact the former players have been wonderful. For the beach soccer, the assistant coach, Abdullahi Isa, started this program and he was very helpful. Also, a lot of the ex internationals and the coaches have been supportive and have kept keen eyes on what we have been doing. In fact, they have offered services in whatever way we feel they can support us. Everybody has been part of this development.