President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, yesterday visited the Benue State capital, Makurdi and presented a gigantic trophy to the state governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia for the U15 football tournament.
The presentation of the trophy was in fulfillment of the promise he made when he earlier visited the State on the invitation of Benue State Football Association (BSFA).
Handing over the trophy to Governor Alia inside the Government House in Makurdi, NFF President remarked that grassroots remains the bedrock of football development.
He said, “The trophy donation is a token of support to show that we at the NFF are surely with you in the resuscitation of the Governor’s Cup. Be rest assured we will always be there for you as long as football development is concerned in Benue State.
“With the grassroots development of football, talents who abound in Benue State will be discovered and nurtured. And top clubs like Lobi Stars won’t always need to go in search of Stars outside of the state because Benue is home of football.”
The NFF supreme then hailed the Governor for his sincere approach adding that, “Your commitment to football development is very commendable. In you, we see someone we can work with to uplift and uphold human capital development which is mainly about the young people. Once you have someone who has the people at heart, it becomes very easy for us to work with him.”
On his part, BSFA Chairman, Chief Barr. Paul Edeh hailed Governor Alia’s genuine dedication to people’s yearning which is “evident in the revival of the Benue State Governor’s Cup after 8 years of inactivity. “We sincerely thank you and as an FA, we will stop at nothing to promote the tournament at the grassroots,” Edeh said.
Responding, Governor Alia said he was desirous to return the state to the pinnacle of football development after long years of doldrums.
According to him, “No investment in sports is a waste, particularly football which is a unifying factor. Football has what it takes to transform the economy of a people.”
The Governor alongside the NFF President, BSFA Chairman along with other stakeholders later inspected the ongoing rehabilitation of Aper Aku football pitch and other aspects of the Stadium.
