NAN -S-1
Award
Abuja, Dec.13, 2016 (NAN) The FCT Football Association (FA) on Tuesday, honoured former Minister for the territory, retired Lt.-Gen. Jeremiah Useni and former Director-General, National Sports Commission, Alhassan Yakmut with ” FCT Football Association award”.
Former President, Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Sani Lullu was also among the beneficiaries of the award.
The FCT FA Chairman, Musa Talle, who presented the awards in Abuja, said that the occasion was a deliberate effort by the association to bring together past and present actors in football to celebrate the game.
He added that it was to honour prominent administrators and personalities that assisted in the development of sports in the territory and country in general.
Talle said that the awards, which coincided with the 40 years of FCT and the movement of the seat of the Federal Government from Lagos to Abuja, was important and worth celebrating.
He said that the association had established the FCT Football Development Fund to accelerate the development of sports and close up the gap that existed.
“In line with this plan, the FCT FA has decided to establish the FCT Football Development Fund (FCT-FDF.
“The fund will basically cater for the development of players,coaches referees, talent hunt, general development, provision of facilities and building of Abuja Football village.
Earlier, FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello, commended the FCT FA for the initiative, adding that it was the first of its kind in the history of FCT FA.
Bello,represented by the FCT Acting Director of Sports, Dilichukwu Onyedinma, said the award was unique as it coincided with the FCT at 40.
In his award lecture, Yakmut stressed the need for the provision of standard facilities and ensuring high quality players to the adequate development of football in the country.
He said that the four standard football pitches in the country were very insignificant.
Yakmut identified stable political platform in the NFF and good officiating major factors the country needed for the improvement in the game of football.
He described football as not only a business but also a goldmine that could raise the country’s Gross Domestic Product, if properly harnessed.
“We are in a business enough for everybody, all we need is business strategy,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the awardees, Lulu said that football as a game had attracted global actors as well as unite people.
He commended FCT FA for using football to create environment that enabled some citizens of the country to realise their ambition and contribute their quota to the development of the game.
“Celebrating FCT at 40 is a responsibility of all and we should contribute positively to change the system since change has come to FCT FA,’’ he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Federal Road Safety Commission and Supreme Court among others establishments received organisation awards at the occasion.
FOSLA Academy won the team of the year award; FRSC Strikers FC went home with the male category award while the female category award went to Beautiful Tours FC. (NAN)
DE/DS/DUA
Edited by Dada Ahmed
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