The game of football has been described as a veritable tool which could be used to further remind young ones on how responsibilities are taken, the spirit of hard work and concentration as well as accountability.
This was made known by the National Coordinator Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), CSP Ebere Amaraizu at Okigwe Sports Stadium Imo state serving as Okigwe Centre of the ongoing Nationwide league one Division one zonal league competition while reacting on the choice of use of football in the campaign for value reorientation and strategic leadership direction by POCACOV.
According to Amaraizu who also doubles as the centre coordinator/Head of operations for Okigwe and Ngor Okpala Centres and the Director South East of the Nigeria Nationwide league one, “the choice of the use of each sporting games in the campaign message for value reorientation, self discovery and strategic leadership direction is based on the tenets of each of the sporting events and the premise that sports being a unifying factor is loved by mankind hence the message contents are built around them and that’s strategic communications at work.
“We use the tenets in the football to pass message of unity, team work, spirit of sportsmanship, taking responsibility, hardwork, purposeful, strenght, accountability and self reliance. For instance, in the game of football, you are expected to exhibit hardwork, take responsibility because a pass will be given to you and you need to take the responsibility and take a positive decision to the advantage of your team. The football itself is a scenario of project and players are workers that has to take responsibility in life, work hard, be purposeful, exhibit understanding and self-control to avoid cautions by referee and getting the planned result which must be accounted for.
“It teaches us how to initiate by thinking outside the box, take responsibility and work hard with spirit of team work and sportsmanship to endure all the tackles and worries and then make proper accountability of your actions with the result you will get.
“We use it to inculcate the spirit of self-discovery through the internalizations of those life coping skills which one is bound to face in life and which our young ones try to cut short or run away from because they are afraid of those challenges which are the main ingredients of life coping skills that paves way to successes. In football your eyes must be on the ball meaning that you must remain focus and vigilante to react at any second, you must read movement and no one will tell you when to kick the ball and where to take it to ofcourse it must be to the advantage of your team and the spirit of patriotism of not working against your team must be exhibited.
“It is used by the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices(POCACOV) to unite young ones, make them know that you have to work hard, you have to be focus with eyes on the ball, you have to be united and patriotic, take responsibility for your success and failures, account for your activities at the end of the game which could be winning or loss and importantly the spirit of sportsmanship to continue to accept defeat and restrategize and move on for better. We need to tolerate each other and this is what the game teaches irrespective of your tribe, religion, educational status amongst others.”
POCACOV is a community driven program of the Nigeria Police Force under IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu linked into the public safety and security framework of the Nigeria police Force and involving different stakeholders to save young minds from the claws of cultism, sexual and gender based violence, substance and drug abuse, thuggery/violence, trafficking in persons, internet fraud, sex for grade, admissions, employment and other related vices. POCACOV uses community approach, forum base and activity base where you get sporting events amongst others. POCACOV uses advocacy, awareness creation and sensitizations, mentoring and reorientation to drive the message of value reorientation, self discovery and strategic leadership direction for a safe, peaceful and secured community.
