The National Coordinator of the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices(POCACOV), CSP Ebere Amaraizu has expressed confidence that the upcoming Coal City Neigbourhood Football League event in Enugu state will not only reunite youths of the state from various neighbourhoods but also inculcate strategic leadership direction, create a platform of value reorientation and engagement of the youth.
It was gathered that no fewer than two hundred youths are expected to be exposed to local, national and international football clubs amongst others.
According to Amaraizu, who also is the South East Director of the Nigeria Nationwide League One, “the Coal City Neighbourhood Football League tagged ’GOFEC/POCACOV Neighbourhood Coal City Football League’ will be a unifying factor for all the youths in the neighbourhood of the coal city and enable value reorientation and propel strategic leadership direction and engagement for national security and socioeconomic development.”
This was made known on Wednesday while reacting on the essence of the Anti-Vice Football Event shortly after a joint meeting with the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GOFEC, Domben Chisom and the Coordinator of the event Oparaji Emeka, the Team Manager LamRay United FC Enugu held at the IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu POCACOV Resource Centre, Enugu, to review the planned programme of action of the event.
The participants’ team from various neighbourhoods in the Coal City have already been grouped into group A to D featuring Agbani Road FC, Abakpa, Emene, Uwani, GRA, Coal Camp, New Haven, Ind. Layout, Gariki, Umuchigbo, Trans Ekulu, Asata amongst other neigbourhoods.
Amaraizu said each of them participating in the event will have team coordinators.
“The Coal City episode is tagged Season 1 while Season 2 and others will take place in other states of the country. It is an anti-vice game tailored to strengthen the mechanism of the community-oriented policing for youths value reorientation and strategic leadership direction as well as community peace building.
“My happiness is that GOFEC is a POCACOV Ambassador and movie director and producer and we are working in partnership with the Nigeria Nationwide League One (NLO), the state ministry of youths and sports, the Enugu state football Association and Referee Association, including the state ministry of tourism amongst others,” Amaraizu maintained.
“We are bringing on board broad spectrum of POCACOV Ambassadors drawn from notable actors, actresses, comedians, artistes and other relevant stakeholders to help utilize the opportunity to drive home the message of POCACOV which is say no to cultism, substance/drug abuse, sexual and gender based violence, thuggery and violence as well as other vices and be a champion.
“Participants will play in league forms and qualify to quarter finals, semi-finals and then finals. The league matches will be played at Ngwo Park Field since it is a community based football match likewise the quarter finals while the semi-finals and the finals will be played at the mainbowl of Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium Enugu.
“Teams involved in semi-finals and finals will wear a well branded and customized GOFEC/POCACOV jerseys just as the finals of the football event will be played in the night with flood light and with adequate media coverage for those that will not be attending as a result of the strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols,” he added.
Amaraizu, however, concluded by saying that the Coal City Neighbourhood soccer fiesta which is an anti-vice activity for youth value reorientation, engagement and strategic leadership direction will attract attendance of broad spectrum of football intermediaries, coaches and football stakeholders.
