Excitement has continued to build around the All-Ogoni Secondary Schools Football Competition 2026 as teenagers prepare to battle for the N5 million grand prize.
For many of the young players, another major motivation is the opportunity to be selected for professional football training, which the sponsor, Lesi Maol, said is the main objective of the tournament.
It was against this backdrop that the opening ceremony held on Friday, October 2, 2026, at the Alesa Unity Stadium in Eleme Local Government Area, Rivers State, was filled with joy and fanfare.
The Chairman of Khana Local Government Area, Thomas Bariere, graced the occasion and personally led the Khana LGA contingent to demonstrate his support for the competition and its human capacity development prospects.
Bariere expressed optimism that the football competition, sponsored by KAGOTE, will provide a platform to discover talented young footballers across Ogoni.
He noted that his administration was not only supporting participating teams from Khana LGA but had also deployed a representative of Khana Football Club to scout for promising talents during the tournament.
“We are seeing the display of very wonderful talent here, and we are sure that at the end of this tournament, a lot of players will be picked,” Bariere said.
The Khana council boss stressed that his administration fully supports the initiative and would partner with the organizers to sustain it as an annual event.
Also present at the kick-off was the President-General of the apex socio-cultural organization of the Ogoni people, KAGOTE, Lesi Maol.
The competition is themed, “Catch Them Young, Securing the Future of Ogoni Youths.”
