MTN Lagos Street Soccer’ll curb smuggling

This was the submission of Honourable Timothy Akojenu, Executive Secretary, Badagry West Local Council Development Area during a visit of the Street Soccer town storming train which rounded its tour of all 57 local government and development centres in the state on Friday.

The local government boss, who showered encomium on the Governor Raji Fashola administration’s efforts at empowering the youth through the street soccer project, noted that lack of sporting facility remains the bane of sports in the community.

He informed that an illicit smuggling business is predominant among youths in the community and its environs, submitting that the coming of street soccer to the community is timely and beneficial to indigenes of the community, especially the youths.

“I want to believe that my community will greatly benefit from this project. Our youths are prone to smuggling business, due to idleness, but with the coming of street soccer, the youths will re-channel their energies into legitimate means of making money rather than risking their lives in smuggling,” he said.

At the Oto Awori Local Council Development Area, Olufemi Musa, Executive Secretary assured that his council will ensure a successful staging of the championship, just as he said that the council has registered ten teams in readiness for the kick-off of the championship early next month.

He added that the street soccer will transform lives of intending players, saying that the State Government initiative will improve the standard of football in both the state and the country at large.

Executive Chairman, Iba Local government Development Centre, Isiaka Suarau commended the town storming train efforts at enlightening the community.
He said all hands are on deck in his community for the kick off of the project, adding that ten teams have completed their registration for the MTN Lagos street soccer champions.

Meanwhile, the town storming train received a rude at the Ojo Local Government when chairman and officials of the council shunned all entreaties from the crew. The crew spent over twenty minutes at the premises of the council without been attended to.

Masquerade embraces MTN Lagos Street Soccer Champions

The MTN Lagos Street Soccer Champions town storming tour of 57 local government and development centres took another dimension on Friday at Zone 2, which comprises of Badagry, Badagry West, Olorunda, Ojo, Iba and Oto-Awori.

At the Olorunda Local Government Development Area, the cultural value of the people came alive, as the town storming train was welcomed by a cultural troop of masquerade that lifted the mood of the Governor’s Raji Fashola’s grassroots soccer project.

The atmosphere became charged when a 4-year-old masquerade performed some dance steps to the tune of he street soccer theme song.

The electrifying atmosphere drew attention of Olorunda Community led by the Chairman, Local Organsing Secretary MTN Lagos Street Soccer, Mariam Attah, who trooped out in their numbers to be part of the campaign, thus using the opportunity to get acquainted with the street soccer project.

The train, which completed its 10–day tour of all The 10 Sports zones in the state in its bid to raise the awareness and sensitise the public on the forthcoming street soccer championship scheduled to kick off early next month.

Secretary, Media and Publicity Committee of the street soccer project, Titi Oshodi-Eko described the tour as successful, just as she expressed hope for a hitch-free event.
She commended the crew for their dedication towards making the street soccer project a success.

She further explained that the town storming tour is a communication tool of the committee adopted to r-eawake the consciousness of Lagosians as regards the street soccer project