Obiano kicks off Traders Cup

Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has said the Traders’ Football competition was introduced to encourage recreation and unity among the traders in Anambra State.
Obiano, who spoke weekend during the official kick- off of Anambra Traders’ Football Competition he is sponsoring, restated the cliché that “all works and no play makes the jack a dull boy.

The governor asked the players and traders to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship and tenacity both in the field of play and their daily activities.

He assured that there would be many prizes to be won by players who distinguished themselves in the competition.

The prizes, according to the governor, include the most valuable player of the competition, highest goal scorer, best behaving team, best defender, and best goalkeeper among others.

He urged the organisers and the participants to ensure a hitch free competition, charging the participants to use the competition to bring the best out of their skills and talents in football for their benefits.

In her remarks, the State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mrs. Uju Nwogu, said the competition showed Governor Obiano’s passion for sports development in Anambra State, noting that the governor bagged award as pillar of sports at the federal level last year.

Earlier in his remark, President-General of Amalgamated Market Traders Association of Anambra State (AMATAS), Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo, had said that the traders were happy with the administration of Obiano following his giant strides in the state and the good gesture being accorded to the traders.

He said that the traders have adopted a slogan for Obiano’s re-election tagged “Working Willie – Traders’ Choice”.

Ezenwankwo said the competition will bring out talented footballers capable to go places in football from Anambra markets, noting that some of the young traders are good enough in the round leather but they lack the opportunity to bring out their talents.

He said the competition will boost the chances of the players to find clubs, as according to him, “football is a very lucrative business in the world today and anybody who finds his destiny in football will enjoy the fortunes thereof.

He added: I have a football club in Nanka my home town and the club has raised up to five players that are currently playing professional football in foreign countries like Italy, Malta, Sweden and China, so I believe that this competition will serve as an open door to those who have destiny in football to discover it.

He assured that the entire traders in the state will reciprocate the governor’s gesture by giving him total support in his re-election bid, adding that Obiano deserves a second term considering what he has done in the most critical areas of security, road construction, agriculture and attracting investors to the state.

The Governor himself kicked off the competition at Godwin Achebe Stadium, Fegge, Onitsha. Players of Ekwulobia market in Aguata Local Government Area defeated Marine Modern Market team by 2-1.

Scores at the full time was 1-1 before they went into penalty and Marine Market lost one penalty, conceding victory to Ekwulobi.