Team MMC emerges winner of NEDC peace competition for IDPs youths

AHMED MARI, Maiduguri

The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has organised sports competitions for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) youths across the 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Borno State to engage the youths and to discover talent at the grassroots level.

The event, which was designed to engage the youths in sporting activities and promote peace across the 27 local government areas,  also provides the opportunity to the traumatized IDPs to discover their potentials in different sporting activities..

Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) football Club emerged winner of the Peace Cup competition with four goals to beat Kukawa football club, which emerged second, while Gubio football team scored 11 goals to beat Askira Uba team, which scored  10  goals to emerge third and fourth positions respectively.  Both the final and semi-final were decided in a penalty shootout.

Addressing the dignitaries, participating teams, and their fans before presenting the trophy and medals to the winning teams at the El-Kanemi Sports Centre, Maiduguri recently, the Managing Director of the NEDC, Alhaji Mohammed Alkali, said: “On 1st November 2021 at the Government House, Governor Babagana Zulum launched six-week sporting activities for the IDP youths.

“Twenty-seven LGAs registered for football, 15 LGAs Badminton, , 13 basketball and five Volleyball. Today, we have come to the end of the sports competitions with the final football match between MMC and Kukawa, while yesterday the third position was decided between Gubio and Askira Uba.

” The sporting competitions is to encourage our youths and engage them in meaningful activities as they plan to return to their respective communities and to promote sporting activities, we have also had training workshops for coaches and as time goes on, we are going to replicate this competition across all the states in the Northeast “, Alhaji Alkali stated.

The NEDC MD also said:  “Only three teams are going to be presented with trophy and medal. However, all the teams are winners as they are going home with sets of Jersey,  shocks, balls, basketball and madmen nets, kits cash, among others”.

Also speaking, the Borno state Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Martd Hussaini, assured the BEDC of the state government’s continued support to the sport’s development.

Commending the NEDC for sponsoring the games, Governor Zulum assured his administration’s continuous partnership with the commission.

For a better society