A former chairman of Surulere Local Government Area in Lagos State, Alhaji Agboola Lukman Dabiri will be father of the day at the 2nd Coach Hyacienth Nkwocha Memorial Football Carnival scheduled to hold this Sunday at Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium.
Sports247 gathered that Alhaji Dabiri, who is also a former chairman of Lagos State Sports Council and erstwhile commissioner of social development, will put aside busy duties at his present base in Abuja to make himself available.
It will be an opportunity for him to meet former coaches, officials and players of Community Action Through Sport (CATS), a youth development project that was sponsored by The British Council from 2001 to 2009 and he was the pioneer director.
During Dabiri’s time as CATS’ director, Coach Hyacienth was the project’s pioneer head coach and handled training twice a week at Union Bank Sports Complex, Bode Thomas Street, Surulere.
The coach’s efforts were largely instrumental in the development of a strong under-15 boys’ team for CATS as well as a female squad that eventually played in the National Amateur Women’s League.
Many of the project’s male and female products have now come together to stage an expanded format of Hycienth Nkwocha Memorial Football Carnival that debutted in 2021 at NPA Sports Complex, Bode Thomas Steeet, Surulere.
A statement by CATS’ former administrative officer and team manager, Oscar Ezinwa Emmanuel revealed that Sunday’s line up of activities will begin at 12pm with matches among various invited under-15 teams in a gala competition.
‘TM’ Oscar added that the day’s main attraction will be an exhibition game between CATS All Stars and Surulere Coaches Council, with Dabiri expected to take the ceremonial kick-off as chief host of the occasion.
“Alhaji Dabiri fully sponsored the first edition of this carnival, but our former players said they wanted to start footing the bills every year henceforth.
“Many of them – both male and female – are now based abroad. They are the ones leading this venture, with support from those who are still in Nigeria,” Oscar disclosed.
