From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with a humanitarian group and the Borno State government organised football matches to build the resilience of young people to mark World Children’s Day in the post-conflict northeastern state.
Wife of Borno State governor Dr Falmata Zulum, in a remark during the Resilience Football Match at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), lauded UNICEF and its partner, GoalPrime Nigeria, an aid organisation, for their intervention, especially for young people.
“This is novel, this is helpful to our children and particularly our boys the participants in this World Children’s Day 2022 Resilience Football Match, who have been affected by the violence in our state for over a decade,” she said.
Falmata who was represented by the Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo, said the match will create better opportunities for skill development and educational growth of the children to secure a better tomorrow.
She also said the sporting event could promote the spirit of love, peaceful co-existence and competitiveness among the children in the state, the values eroded by the over a decade of violence in the northeast.
Acting UNICEF Chief of Maiduguri office, Mr Clement Adams commended the organisers; Goal Prime and its partner; Global Partnership for Education (GPE) for the event. He also congratulated the boys for their active participation and thereafter, presented trophies and medals to the participating play.
The march was played between Moduganari Primary & Junior Secondary School tagged Northeast Giants and its Resilientoons; Gwange Primary & Junior Secondary School, all in the Maiduguri metropolis.
The event, according to Goal Prime Organisation Nigeria, was organised as part of activities to celebrate World Children’s Day and also support boys who have been affected by insurgency in the northeast to build resilience.
Most of these children, ages between six to 11, were born amid insurgents’ attacks in the state>
Over 80,000 children have been displaced by the violence in the northeast out of the estimated three million displaced persons since 2009, a UNICEF report shows.