Gov Alia revives Benue governor’s cup 8 years after

By David Odama

Benue State governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia Thursday revived the Governor’s Cup Competition in the state eight years after it was abandoned.

Chairman of Benue State Football Association (BSFA), Barr Paul Ede, announced this while briefing Journalists in Makurdi, said the state was proud to announced the revivement of the governors cup that went into limbo for over eight years ago.

“Today we are proud to announce the return of the much anticipated Governor’s Cup, an event that has been absent from our state for over eight years.

“This revival by Governor Hyacinth Alia symbolizes a renewed commitment to the development of grassroot football which serves as a crucial platform for nurturing young talents and uniting our communities in Benue state particularly our communities that are ravaged by the herders.

“We have no doubt that this beautiful game has all it takes to bridge the football gap that we have lacked for many years particularly as the teeming youths have consistently missed the Governor’s Cup.”

Ede appreciated Governor Alia for his unwavering dedication for the development of sports in the state saying his vision of using sports as a tool for youth empowerment, community engagement and societal growth is commendable

According to the BSFA chairman, the Governor’s Cup is a testament to Governor Alia’s passion and belief in the power of sports to inspire and transform lives.

He informed that the President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, has given his commitment to grace the opening and finals of the tournament and has also promised to donate a trophy for the Governor’s Cup which will be presented to the Governor at the final event.

He commended the state Commissioner for Youths, Sport and Creativity, Hon Kester Kyenge for his doggedness and working tirelessly with his team to ensure that the Governor’s cup comes back to life.

While stating that the 2024 Governor’s Cup will feature the 23 local government area with each local government presenting a team to compete in the tournament, noted that each Local Government is expected to register with the sum of N500,000 to ensure that they all have an opportunity to participate.

“The tournament, if approved by the Governor, will kick off officially on October 1, 2024, beginning with a zonal conference which will take place in four zones and will culmination in the super eight”

“First prize for the champions will be N10 million while N6 million and N4 million respectively will be given to the second and third team positions while consolation prizes will also be given to reward outstanding performances”, Ede declared.

He expressed confidence that the tournament will foster peace and unity in the state and also foster healthy competition, harness talent of young people who will represent the state across the country.

“We want to use this tournament to identify young Benue talents to project them to the world,” BSFA boss urged all citizens of the state , especially newsmen to support the Governor to promote the game in the days leading to the start of the tournament.

The Commissioner of Youths, Sport and Creativity, Kester Kyenge, represented by the Permanent Secretary, John Akume, expressed joy that the Governor’s Cup is back pledging total support to ensure its success.

The Commissioner said Government is committed to investing in sports to take more youths off the street.