TUNDE BOLAJI MINNA.
The Kontagora local government football team has emerged as champions of the first edition of the Kontagora Emirate inter-local government football competition, tagged.
“Mai Sudan Cup,” organized by Zone C football association and sponsored by the state NLC Chairman, Comrade Idrees Abdulkareem Lafene.
The Champion defeated the Mariga LG team by 2-0, at the finals decided on Sunday at Adamu Bokani stadium in Kontagora
The Emir of Kontagora, Alhaji Mu’azu Muhammad Barau ll, whom the competition was in his honor, witnessed the closing ceremony of the tournament in the company of his council members.
Speaking to sports journalists shortly after the finals, the Emir observed that football is one of the things that brings the youths together.
He called on the youths to embrace football not for only its leisure but also as a means of livelihood, adding that they should use it as a tool for unity and peaceful coexistence among them.
The Emir also used the occasion to appreciate Governor Mohammed Umar Bago for his developmental strides in the state, praying for more strength and wisdom for the governor.
While commending the Niger NLC Chairman, who holds the title of Dan Adalin Kontagora, for honoring him by sponsoring the football competition in his honor, the royal father also called on well-to-do individuals in the emirate to engage the youths through football.
He also appreciated the Niger State Football Association (NSFA) under the leadership of Comrade Ahmed Yusuf Fresh, the Zone C football association, and the Kontagora LG football council for ensuring that the competition was hitch-free and successful.
The state NLC Chairman, Comrade Idrees Abdulkareem Lafene, revealed that football offered him the opportunity of getting an appointment as a civil servant by Kontagora LG for his dedication to the local government football team.
He added that football made him who he is today and that he owes everything he has today to football, hence the reason he was given back to society through sponsorship of football tournaments across the state.
Comrade Lafene said as a title holder of Kontagora Emirate, nothing would be too much for him to contribute to the peace and unity of the emirate, promising to continue to do his best towards youth development.
Speaking on behalf of football stakeholders across the state, the Chairman of Niger State Football Association (NSFA), Comrade Ahmed Yusuf Fresh appreciated the Emir for his support and fatherly advice towards the success of the tournament, saying the presence of the Emir during the finals has added glamour to the closing ceremony.
Meanwhile, the NLC Chairman and his delegation had earlier paid homage to the Emir at his residence to appreciate him for his support and for accepting the tournament to be organized in his honor, as well as for the conferment of the title of Dan Adalin Kontagora on the NLC Chairman.
The six local governments under the Kontagora Emirate participated in the tournament, and the closing ceremony was witnessed by football stakeholders and the state labor movement family, including the state chairman of TUC, NUT, and the medical and health workers union, among others.
