ABUJA ALL STARS VETERANS TOURNAMENT GETS NSC BACKING
Oru Leonard
In a bid to ensure that the labour of past sporting heroes isn’t in vain, the National Sports Commission Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko today threw his weight behind the 5th edition of the Abuja All Stars Veterans Tournament.
Speaking while hosting the Executives of the Abuja All Stars International Football Club and Local Organising Committee of the tournament, Mallam Dikko restated the Commission’s commitment towards improving the lot of retired footballers.
His words, “This tournament is a celebration of our former gladiators in football. It is good to see our ex-internationals still doing it today as they did back in the days. Such a tournament that brings together stars of yesteryears should be encouraged. Our current players will learn a lot watching these older ones play.
“At the Commission we are interested in seeing our retired players live healthy and still contribute immensely to development of the game. Our doors are open for such initiatives and collaborations as it aligns with our vision. This Veterans Tournament is what I have been involved with over the years, so I am always open to such an initiative. I am a member of this All Stars family so it is good to see that even my own family is aligning with what we are doing here at NSC. With this tournament, you are only trying to help us to push the vision further out there to the public.”
He also looked at the economic side of the tournament.
“The President has mandated us to harness the potentials of sports economy. This means that there is more to sports than just competitions. We are looking at the business aspect. This tournament will create sports jobs. Factoring in the businesses that revolve around the venue of this tournament, our involvement is a no-brainer”, he added.
Speaking earlier, the President of Abuja All Stars International Football Club Nasiru Jibril applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for appointing Mallam Dikko as the NSC Chairman.
“Let us join our voice to the rest of the sporting fraternity and say this appointment was spot on. We may be sounding like a broken record as everybody is saying the same thing but that is the truth. This is the first time we are seeing a sound sports technocrat being put in charge of sports. We thank the President for giving us this gift in Mallam Dikko”, he opined.
The Chairman of the Marketing sub-committee of the LOC Chief John Umoren pointed out that the club would want to collaborate with the NSC in actualizing the sports economy.
He said, “We are looking at about 600 players from the 20 registered clubs featuring through the three months duration of the tournament. This is massive business. Imagine the amount of buying and selling that will go on during this period.
“We have seen your vision for Nigerian sports and we want to join hands with you to create business out of sports. We are creating value chains around this tournament. So using this window of the Abuja All Stars Veterans Tournament, we can collaborate with the NSC to make the sports economy vision a reality.”
The delegation comprised Nasiru Jibril, Chief John Umoren, Chief Nduka Ajuibe, Arc. Richmeir Ogbogu, Dr. Unity Oseghe, Musa Garba, Patrick Bassey, Dr. Charles Agadu, Obinna Ideh, Akadi Godswill, Platini Giwa, Anselm Eze, Rubby Ogbonna and Bishop Okosun.
(NSC Nedia, 7/4/25)
