IBADAN – South West Governors are committed to the development and the complete revival of football in the region. This was the submission of the Director General of DAWN Commission (Managers of South West Nigeria Integration Agenda) Mr Seye Oyeleye.
He spoke after his meeting with the Western Nigeria Governor’s Cup (WNGC) team led by Otunba Akin Akinbobola, the Executive Secretary of the Western Nigeria Football Forum (WNFF), held on Tuesday at the DG’s office in Ibadan.
The DG who expressed optimism that the WNGC which is the baby of the Seyi Akinwunmi led WNFF comprising of the 6 (six) Western Nigeria State Football Associations, will help not only in reviving sport in the region but will return the region to its rightful place in the sphere of Nigerian football.
Oyeleye said, It is disheartening to note that football in the region has fallen from its lofty heights of the past to a current situation where the Region has only a few players considered good enough for the national team”. He was however optimistic that the WNGC will change this, as many hidden young talents would be discovered and nurtured to stardom.
Speaking further, the DG Dawn Commission boss added that “we are collaborating with WNFF on this project because thay are professionals, the football custodians in each of the respective States and we are confident that this initiative is in line with the vision of the Governors of the Western Nigeria States who are keen on developing football within the region. We want a situation where the region will be able to reproduce the likes of Segun Odegbami,Rashidi Yekini,Felix Owolabi,Ike Shorunnmu, Mutiu Adepoju, Muda Lawal among others and regain our dominance of Nigeria football”.
Oyeleye continued, “football is big business and the advent of this competition will help create employment in the region, boost the economy of the region, foster integration and help take kids off our streets”. The Executive Secretary WNFF Otunba Akin Akinbobola while thanking the DG for his support disclosed that the WNGC is an Intra-Regional U20 competition between the Western Nigeria States and that the grand Finale will include a display of the diverse cultures within the region. He pledged that the WNFF will organize a hitch free competition that will set the tone for the commencement of the Odua Football League in the near future but will nonetheless meet and even surpass the aspirations of the Governors of the Western Nigeria States.
