MTN Lagos Street Soccer’ll curb smuggling - Badagry LCDA boss

Niyi Alebiosu, Lagos - 14.07.2008

The MTN Lagos Street Soccer Champions will help in the eradication of smuggling within the Badagry community.

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 last 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 was predominant among youths in the community and its environs, submitting that the coming of street soccer to the community was timely and beneficial to indigenes of the community, especially the youth.

“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 would ensure a successful staging of the championship, just as he said that the council has registered 10 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 were on deck in his community for the kick off of the project, adding that 10 teams had completed their registration for the MTN Lagos Street Soccer Champions.