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By Kelechi Nwaucha
Preparations are in top gear for the hosting of the second edition of the Ogoni Unity Cup, scheduled to kickoff on January 4th, 2025 at the BMGS in Bori, Khana Local Government Area.
President of Ogoni Football Organisation, OFO, Mr Martin Giadom on which platform the tournament is being organised, told our reporter that, “The Ogoni Champions’ Cup or the one you call the Ogoni Unity Cup has been slated and designed to hold on the annual Ogoni Day January 4th as this is in commemoration of our Heroes who have contributed enormously to the growth and development of Ogoni land.
The President in his statement said “I must seize the opportunity of this interview to thank and appeal to members of the Ogoni Football Organization (OFO) who are chairmen and secretaries of the four Ogoni LGAs for their tenacity and resilience over the years to ensure that this body continues to grow from strength to strength.”
Explaining the rationale behind the tournament, Giadom said, “We have targeted to produce five professional players yearly from Ogoni land, the Ogoni Champions Cup is something that is feasible and achievable.
“As we speak today, it’s appalling and disheartening that we have a very paltry number of Ogonis playing in Nigeria professionally, while we should be counting numbers that are playing in top clubs in Europe, which is what is obtainable elsewhere in Nigeria today.”
The OFO Boss described the competition as “a viable avenue that can ensure enormous peace and unity of the Ogoni youths. This has been tested in our maiden edition that was held previously in 2010,” while urging well-meaning Ogonis to key into the project.
“Let’s use this opportunity to appeal to individuals, sports-loving individuals in Ogoni especially Ogonis in the Diaspora to support the ideal, including supporting the ideal in steering these social engineering project, to ensure that we continue to grow talent in terms of football in Ogoni land.
“We have opportunities, bountiful opportunities that are everywhere in Ogoni and this is a golden one.”
Giadom noted that the group knock-out stage would involve 8 teams emerging from the four local government areas comprises Khana, Eleme, Gokana and Tai LGA’s.
“The venue of the event is always going to be BMGS Bori. That is the traditional headquarters of Ogoni people. But if it demands that the final be played on any neutral venue, like we have Tai now as another central location in the Ogoni land, we wouldn’t hesitate to do that,” he said.
