Chief Ekwulugo to set alight Nnewi for football, volleyball competitions

Chief Ekwulugo sponsors Nnewi Youths Forum's football, volleyball competitions

As part of efforts to foster unity in Nnewi Kingdom, keep the youths engaged and discourage them from social vices, the Nnewi Youth Forum has concluded arrangements to make a magnificent show of this year's edition of Nnewi Unity Cup.

This edition of the annual competition is a unique one, being the first time the competition would be gender-balanced, as it features football competition for boys, and volleyball for girls.

This unique innovation of involving boys and girls in its conceptualisation of the term, youths, stands it out.

The Lady Organiser, Nnewi Youths Forum, (Ladies wing), Comrade Chiamaka Nnebedum, believes that apart from sports being avenues for uniting people across different divides in the society, the competition provides the ladies an opportunity to display and explore their God-given talents, in such a way that it leads to socio-economic empowerment, and also take their attentions away from crimes and other social vices.

She describes sports as a very powerful tool for fostering unity, and economic empowerment, stressing that it is an opportunity no youth should think of missing because sports around the world is a multi-billion dollar investment portfolio, waiting for everybody to key into.

In the same vein, the President, Nnewi Youths Forum, Ejim Emmanuel Ucheagwu believes that it provides a platform for the youths to exhibit their talents and take their minds off social vices.

He charged the youths to channel their God-given talents to more productive and beneficial ventures like the competition, during the festive period, when fun lovers can have where to go, to make their coming home worth the while, in terms of entertainment and memorable experiences in Nnewi.

The President has nothing but words of commendation for the sponsor of the competition, Chief Ifeanyi Ekwulugo, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, IYCON Industries limited, and founder, IYCON Foundation Nnewi, for sponsoring the completion on a grander scale that it has ever witnessed.

He called on other distinguished, and accomplished sons and daughters of Nnewi Kingdom to emulate Chief Ekwulugo by investing in this kind of philanthropy, that would, meaningfully, keep the youths of the kingdom engaged, and away from anti-social activities.

In the Volleyball competition, tagged "Nnewi Ladies Volleyball Competition 2024" which commences on December 26 at the Nnewi High School, with Team-Otolo playing Team-Uruagwu in the opening match.

Meanwhile the second match will be between, Team-Umudim and Team-Nnewichi.

The 3rd-place match will take place on December 31 between the losers of the semifinals, and the grand finale between the winners of the semi finals.

On the football side of the event, on December 26, FC Uruagwu will take on FC Umudim, at the Nnewi High School while the second match comes up the next day at the same venue between FC Otolo and FC Nnewichi.

The sponsor of this year's edition of the competition, Chief Ifeanyi Ekwulugo, who is the Managing Director of IYCON Industries Limited and founder, IYCON Foundation, Nnewi, disclosed that his motivating factors for providing logistic supports towards the organisation of the tournaments are to foster unity among the four communities that make up the Nnewi kingdom.

Chief Ekwulugo, who has been touching lives through his series of impactful philanthropic interventions in community development with IYCON Foundation, believes that if the youths are properly guided, through engagement in activities such as these, it would enable them channel their energies towards productive ventures like Sports.

Meanwhile, prize money for volleyball are as follows:

1st - ₦400,000
2nd-₦300,000
3rd- ₦200,000
4th - ₦100,000

And for the football event, the following prizes go to the respective teams according to their performances:

Ist Prize - ₦1million

2nd Prize - ₦750,000

3rd Prize - ₦500,000

4th Prize - ₦250,000.

In the same vein, handsome rewards, from the Nigeria's Pillar of Sports, Chief Donatus Agu-Ejidike JP, also await the best player, and the best goalkeeper, in the football event, while same goes for the best player in the volleyball category. According to the Nigeria's Pillar of Sports, who doubles as the patron of the Nigerian Football Supporters' Club (NFSC), his office decides to key into sponsoring the Nnewi Unity Cup because it is in line with the vision and mission of the Office of the Nigeria's Pillar of Sports.

It would be recalled that, the ONPS, just, about a year ago, finished sponsored the Igwe Nnewi Diamond Under-20 Football championship, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Igwe on the throne of his ancestors, as part of the activities marking the Monarch's, HRH.Iqwe K.N.O.Orizu 111, the Igwe Nnewi, 98th birthday, and Afiaolu/Iriji festival in the year 2023.