From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The WACOT Rice Limited has sponsored Kebbi Beach Soccer Club for a beach soccer tournament in Turkey.
The Chairman of the company, Alhaji Faruk Gumel, made this known at the presentation of the Nigerian Beach Soccer League’s trophy won by the soccer team to the Kebbi State Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu in Birnin Kebbi.
Gumel said that the team had been making the state and the company proud not only in the Nigerian Championship but also in the African Championship.
“As part of our community support, youth empowerment and social development initiatives, we have been working and supporting this group of individuals to do their trade.
“Thankfully, they have made us proud by doing it very well; and we recently agreed to support the team to fly to Turkey in order to play championship, and we have already made the fund available and they should be travelling in the next two weeks by the grace of God,” Gumel said.
In his remarks, Governor Bagudu congratulated the team who, he said, had demonstrated what was possible in a few years.
“It was amazing to see a state’s team without an apparent beach pond but representing us far away in Turkey. But all these wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the enthusiastic population and the state Ministry of Youth and Sports.
“Her Excellency, Dr Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu makes it a personnel project to ensure that the team gets necessary support and assistance.
“The WACOT has engaged in corporate social responsibility in different ways in the state; they are now supporting African competitiveness in supporting a team that by the grace of God will do Nigeria and Africa a proud,” he said.
Earlier, the Secretary of the soccer team, Alhaji Abdullahi Yahaya, explained that the team had won the trophy in the country’s league, in August, after defeating Kaduna, Lagos, Edo and Kwara beach soccer teams across the country.
“Our project is just six years old now but we have achieved success being the number one club in Africa and 49th in the world just within six years,” he said.