Sports

Duru lights up Imo community with Female Football Competition

From Everest Ezihe, Owerri

A lovely Amiyi-Akah Autonomous Community in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria, has been ignited with euphoria for about three months now, following an ongoing female football competition instituted by Chief Chika Duru (Igolo Amiyi-Akah) among the 14 villages that constitute the ancient dynasty.

The competition christened, Amiyi-Akah Unity Female Football Competition started last October as part of the community’s entertainment galore heralding Christmas and New Year festivities.

The participating villages are; Dimnawu,
Owereoma , Chinyereihe/Chinyereaku, Iheakor, Duruaro, Dioribe and Akunacha

Others include,Umunwemeka, Oparanyanwu, Dioma ,Odoshiwe, Durunnaihe, Okpokowa and Ndiuhu.

The well-attended competition is being played at ST Paul’s Community Primary School, Amiyi-Akah playing ground. The finals are scheduled to be held on Sunday, January 5th, 2025, by 2 p.m. at the same venue. Cash prizes, trophies, and awards will be bestowed to deserving teams and players.

An illustrious daughter of Amiyi-Akah Autonomous Community, business icon, and administrator based in the United Kingdom in an interview with Sports Journalist said, ” I am not doing this because I am rich or wealthy but as someone that grew up in the village and actively played female football soccer at the village female football soccer competitions”.

Going further she said “It’s my age-long life desire to give back to the society and to be a succour in uplifting budding talents in sports in my village, community, State, and Nigeria at large. As a secondary student, I played active football in my community and was popularly acknowledged as a strong striker.

Duru who is also, the Managing Director of Chikk International Production Limited and Chikk Child Care, United Kingdom, pointed out that, it was her desire, “God willing to be a source of inspiration to upcoming young girls, especially footballers as they are highly sort for in Europe and other advanced world.

“It’s my undying desire to encourage and expose interested and talented female footballers in my community to the State, national, and international communities, this is my undiluted passion, mission, and vision”.

She further said, “It was unfortunate in my days, that many of us were ignorantly discouraged from active sporting activities, especially female football. Today, female football is the in-thing, and international exposure has made me rekindle my commitment towards enhancing local female footballers because in overseas, they are highly paid and respected as celebrities.

“It’s equally a strategic means of creating job opportunities, especially among the rural girls by motivating them through sporting recreational activities so as to assist them in discovering their budding talents in sports, especially football.

“More so, the competition has become a unifying factor among the rural populace as they come out in large numbers every evening at the village playing ground, freely and happily watch good football, mingle, interact, exchange banting and laugh off socioeconomic boredom and challenges.”

“I feel nostalgically fulfilled seeing excitement and natural exhibitions of communal love among my people, each time any of the villages are playing. The people are very happy both men, women, and youths, thus eagerly looking forward to the next match” Duru popularly called Nwanyi Wu Ihe and Igolo Amiyi Akah emotionally stated.

The graduate of Political Science and Administration from the University of Port Harcourt however lamented that most Nigerian young girls are discouraged from achieving their destinies due to an inferiority complex, lack of finance, motivation, good advice, youthful exuberance, unemployment opportunities but enjoined them not to relegate themselves as second class citizens.

Duru passionately advised them on the need to be spurred by I can do it spirit syndrome and what a man can do, the girls can do it better philosophy, and on no account should they see prostitution or other antisocial vices as an option or better alternative in their ladders of progress in life.

She also charged them to be focused, determined, and inundated with Spartan’s spirit of never giving up, noting that laziness and excuses are never a panacea to any known challenges.

Nwanyi wu ihe, further insisted that the world is full of opportunities where young girls should be prepared to explore positively, and never fold their hands by seeking sympathy and giving excuses for failure.

“Everybody has the potential to succeed, despite obstacles. They should believe in themselves and jettison dependency and entitlement mentality.

“The reality is that things don’t often work in that way. You can make it, if you really want, just be active, focused, prayerful, and earn people’s trust and confidence, these are the ways to go” Igolo Amiyi Akah concluded.

Related Posts

Leave a Comment

This News Site uses cookies to improve reading experience. We assume this is OK but if not, please do opt-out. Accept Read More