Stakeholders has urged the governments to revisit grassroots football matches to fostering social cohesion and promote peacebuilding in crisis affected communities in the North East region.
Afiniki Mangzha, Integrated Women, Youth and Child Foundation (IWAYEC Foundation) made this appeal while speaking at the events organized with theme: “a peace and unity football match” Final Match of the Inter-community Football Tournament held in Maiduguri.
She said the initiative is aimed at bringing football lovers together from six communities of the Maiduguri tollowing years of conflict in region.
Afiniki said that the football match has enhanced togetherness and social cohesion in the communities include Manduganari, Maiduguri, Polo, Lamisula, Ngomari, and Kumahe in Jere and Maiduguri Metropolitan Councils respectively.
She said, “We are gathered here today to a play a peace football match which is the inter-community tournament, this is one of the activities to promote peacebuilding in our project which is funded by UNDP and Lake Chad Basin Commission and Peace-building Fund.
According to her, basically, this is to promote peace in our community and social co-exishion in Borno State. They have been played this game for the past two weeks and today is the final and as you can see Ngomari and Polo slugs it out.
“Interestingly, this football match has brought together six communities. We feel that football is a unifying factor in the country because it brings people in respective of their race, tribes, and religion.
“So we are glad to bring people together thorough football match. In fact, it is all not about the men cheering their player rather about those women who came all the way from their communities to this place to support their youths. I think this is a good and landmark achievement for us,”she said.
Also, Timothy Azaki, Women in New Nigeria (WINN) maintained that the project leans on the unifying power of football to build create positive change, foster living together and build stronger communities.
He said, “As the game commenced, players from both sides displayed remarkable skill and sportsmanship, treating spectators to an exciting display of teamwork and determination while strictly adhering to principles of mutual respect.
“I believe if we can revamp the grassroots sport this will help build a society deviod of crisis. This initiative has once again demonstrated that we can live together in peace and harmony regardless of our differences.”Timothy pointed out.
Yusuf Mustapha Mohammed, Director Youth Empowerment, the State Ministry of Youths, Sports and Poverty Alliviation thanked the organizers of the events, and assured that Zulum’s administration is ready to ensure grassroots football matches comeback in the state.
He noted that the match ended with Ngomari FC winning thorough penalty shootout 5 goals to 4 against Polo FC but the true victory was the palpable sense of camaraderie that emerged as players exchanged jerseys and community members lingered afterwards, discussing how such initiatives could foster lasting peace in the region.
The participants attested to the fact that since the rise of insecurity in the community, there has not been such a communal event for years.
One football player, Bakura Modu, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to bring people together once again saying that without intervention from GPF Nigeria, the event would not have been possible.
Abdul Yaro , another footballer involved in the peace and unity match agreed saying, “I really appreciate the organizers for how this match strengthened the bond of unity amongst our people who are from different ethnoreligious groups.
” He was impressed and appreciative to see the sportsmanship between the opposing teams and said he was excited to participate in future sports events to promote peace.
