By Our Correspondent
The Under-16 Inter-Schools Football Tournament has kicked off in Kano State as part of efforts to promote grassroots sports development and identify emerging football talents.
The tournament, organised by the Sam Okwaraji Foundation, is aimed at bringing students together, fostering friendship and strengthening positive relationships among participating schools.
The opening ceremony was led by the Chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission, Alhaji Muhammad Tukur Babangida, who welcomed the revival of the youth-focused competition.
Babangida said competitions of this nature were important to the development of sports in Kano and Nigeria, particularly in creating opportunities to identify young athletes with the potential to compete at higher levels.
He said grassroots sports development remained a key avenue for discovering future stars who could represent Kano State and Nigeria in national and international competitions.
The chairman also highlighted the wider benefits of school sports, saying participation goes beyond producing athletes to improving students’ physical fitness, developing sporting skills and strengthening mental capacity and teamwork.
He reaffirmed the Kano State Sports Commission’s support for school-based sporting activities and said the commission would continue to back initiatives designed to nurture young talents through sports.
Babangida commended the Sam Okwaraji Foundation for organising the tournament and its commitment to youth development, while wishing the participating schools and other stakeholders success in the competition.
