The just-concluded Epie Unity Football Tournament has been hailed as a resounding success, bringing together youths from different communities in Epie clan in Yenagoa Local Government Area.
The tournament, sponsored by Chief Blankson Osomkeme, was designed to promote unity and discover hidden talents among the youths with a promise to extend the tournament to cover communities in Yenagoa local government area of Bayelsa State.
In an exclusive interview shortly after the finals of the football tournament, Chief Osomkeme revealed that his motivation for organizing the tournament was to unite the people of Epie clan through football. “Football is the only game that unites our people,” he said. “When it comes to football, there is no enmity whatsoever. It’s a unifying factor that brings people together, regardless of their differences.”
The tournament, which featured teams from different communities in Epie clan was a huge success, with many praising the initiative for promoting peace and unity.
Chief Osomkeme noted that the tournament had already begun to yield positive results, citing the example of Edepie and Biogbolo communities, which had previously been at odds but were now united through football.
He expressed his delight at the discovery of new talents during the tournament, saying, “That’s the motivating factor why I have to sustain this. It’s going to provide more opportunities for more persons to showcase their talent and be discovered.”
On his plans to take the tournament to other local government areas in Bayelsa State, Chief Osomkeme said, “For now, I want to take it to the whole Yenagoa local government area before extending it to other local government areas. I want to take it step by step.”
Al’so speaking, the organizer of the maiden Epie Unity Football Tournament, Numese Akwuagbe, attributed the success of the tournament to the unwavering support of his patron and boss, Chief Blankson Osomkeme.
Akwuagbe praised Chief Osomkeme’s commitment to the tournament, saying, “If not for him, we wouldn’t have achieved anything. He has been a supportive figure, and I want to give him praise for that.”
With the success of the maiden edition, Akwuagbe is already looking forward to the next edition, which Chief Osomkeme has announced will be expanded to cover the entire Yenagoa local government area. “We are going to work to ensure that it is done,” Akwuagbe said.
In addition to the tournament’s expansion, Akwuagbe has also partnered with Bayelsa United Feeder Team to provide a platform for talented players discovered during the tournament to showcase their skills. “I have a partnership with Bayelsa United Feeder ß7laTeam to see how we can fix talents discovered in the tournament into that team,” he said.
Akwuagbe expressed his gratitude to Chief Osomkeme for providing the opportunity to organize the tournament, saying, “I really want to appreciate my boss and Patron for giving me the opportunity to organize this football tournament”.
Meanwhile in the finals of the tournament played at the Opolo Secondary School field, Yenizuegene community defeated Akenfa community in a penality shootout to lift the trophy with a
cash prize of N1m and the runner up Akenfa went home with a cash prize of N700,000.00 while the second runner up Edepie went home with a cash prizr of N500,000.00.