……sets Nnewi Agog during festive period.
By Adebayo Abubakar
As part of efforts to foster unity in Nnewi Kingdom, keep Nnewi Youths engaged and to take their minds out of social vices, with a view to having them focused on channeling their energies towards positive venture that will lead to personal development and socio-economic empowerment, the Nnewi Youth Forum have concluded arrangements to make a magnificent show of this year’s edition of Nnewi Unity Cup.
This edition of the annual competition is a unique one. It is unique in the sense that, it is the first time the competition would be gender-balanced, as it features football competition for boys, and Volleyball for girls.
This unique innovation of involving boys and girls in its conceptualisation of the term, youths, stands it out.
The Lady Organiser, Nnewi Youths Forum, (ladies wing) Comrade Chiamaka Nnebedum, believes that apart from sports being avenues for uniting people across different divides in the society, the competition provides the youths (ladies) an opportunity to display and explore their God-given talents, in such a way that it leads to socio-economic empowerment, and also take their attentions away from crimes and other social vices. She describes sports as a very powerful tool for fostering unity, and economic empowerment, saying it is an opportunity no youth should think of missing because, Sports around the world is a multi-billion dollar investment portfolio, waiting for everybody to key into.
In the same vein, the President, Nnewi Youths Forum, Mr. Ejim Emmanuel Ucheagwu is of the belief that it provides a platform for the youths to exhibit their talents and take their minds off social vices.
He charged the youths to channel their God-given talents to more productive and beneficial ventures like the competition, during the festive period, when fun lovers can have where to go, to make their coming home worth the while, in terms of entertainment and memorable experiences in Nnewi.
The President has nothing but words of commendation for the sponsor of the competition, Chief Ifeanyi Ekwulugo, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, IYCON Industries limited, and founder, IYCON Foundation Nnewi, for sponsoring the completion on a grander scale that it has ever witnessed.
He called on other distinguished, and accomplished sons and daughters of Nnewi Kingdom to emulate Chief Ekwulugo by investing in this kind of philanthropy, that would, meaningfully, keep the youths of the kingdom engaged, and away from anti-social activities.
In the Volleyball competition, tagged “Nnewi Ladies Volleyball Competition 2024” which commences on the 26th of December 2024, at the Nnewi High School, Team-Otolo versus Team-Uruagwu by 8am, in the opening match.
Meanwhile the second match, slated for 10am will be between, Team-Umudim and Team-Nnewichi. The 3rd-place match, will take place on the 31st of December, 2024, between the losers of the semifinals, and the grand finale between the winners of the semi finals.
The 3rd-place match is billed for 8am, while the grand finale is for 10am, same day, at the same venue.
On the football side of the event, on Thursday the 26th of December, FC Uruagwu will take on FC Umudim, at the Nnewi High School, at exactly 8am, while the second match comes up the next day, Friday, the 27th of December, at the same venue, by 8am, between FC Otolo and FC Nnewichi.
The 3rd-place match will be between the losers of the two fixtures, on Saturday, the 28th December, and the grand finale, comes up (between the winners on the semi final matches) on Tuesday, 31st December 2024, all at the same venue.
The sponsor of this year’s edition of the competition, Chief (Dr.) Ifeanyi Ekwulugo, who is the Managing Director of IYCON Industries limited, and Founder, IYCON Foundation, Nnewi, is a man, whose name is synonymous with charity and community development, to the industrious people of Nnewi and its environs.
In some of his numerous interactions with journalists, he disclosed that, his motivating factors for providing logistic supports towards the organisation of the tournaments are one: to foster unity among the 4 communities that make up the Nnewi kingdom, namely: Otolo, Uruagu ,Umudim and Nnewichi. And two: that he decides to get, heavily, involved in sponsoring the Nnewi Unity Cup as a way of reiterating his unwavering belief in the potentials of the youths to become responsible members of the society and to do something meaningful with their lives.
Chief Ekwulugo who has been touching lives through his series of impactful philanthropic interventions in community development, with IYCON Foundation believes that, if the youths are properly guided, through engagement in activities such as these, it would enable them channel their energies towards productive ventures like Sports. This would appear like, “killing two birds, with a stone”.
They will not only do something economically beneficial to themselves, but will also have no time for engaging in social vices.
That will be a win-win situation for all stakeholders.
Meanwhile, prize money for volleyball are as follows:
1st – ₦400,000
2nd-₦300,000
3rd- ₦200,000
4th – ₦100,000
And for the football event, the following prizes go to the respective teams according to their performances:
Ist Prize – ₦1million
2nd Prize – ₦750,000
3rd Prize – ₦500,000
4th Prize – ₦250,000.
In the same vein, handsome rewards, from the Nigeria’s Pillar of Sports, Chief Donatus Agu-Ejidike JP, also await the best player, and the best goalkeeper, in the football event, while same goes for the best player in the volleyball category.
According to the Nigeria’s Pillar of Sports, who doubles as the patron of the Nigerian Football Supporters’ Club (NFSC), his office decides to key into sponsoring the Nnewi Unity Cup because it is in line with the vision and mission of the Office of the Nigeria’s Pillar of Sports.
It would be recalled that, the ONPS, just, about a year ago, finished sponsored the Igwe Nnewi Diamond Under-20 Football championship, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Igwe on the throne of his ancestors, as part of the activities marking the Monarch’s, HRH.Iqwe K.N.O.Orizu 111, the Igwe Nnewi, 98th birthday, and Afiaolu/Iriji festival in the year 2023.
