As part of his community outreach programme, Leader of the 7th Senate, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), has sponsored a football tournament in his Asari Eso, Calabar, Cross Rivers State neighbourhood.
Named the Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba Football Tournament, it lasted for 10 days from December 10 to 20, 2022.
It held in a football practice pitch located opposite Ndoma-Egba’s residence, which he donated to the youths of the area for this purpose.
The tournament featured youths formed into different teams and drawn from both within and outside the Asari Eso neighborhood.
Speaking during the finals between Team Nigeria and Team France, Senator Ndoma-Egba, an erstwhile Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, saluted the spirit of sportsmanship and commitment shown by all the players and organisers in the course of the soccer fiesta.
He further added: “You have all vindicated me in the way and manner you have carried on throughout the duration of this tournament.
“I am impressed with your attitude and our objectives, which include keeping you united and gainfully occupied while looking out for exceptional talents from amongst you have been substantially achieved.”
The Senator also promised that subsequent editions of the tournament will be bigger and better organized as the maiden edition will serve as a test run.
He said all the shortcomings have been noted and will be improved upon next year.
He donated a trophy and a cash prize of N100,000 to the winners.
He further donated the sum of N50,000 to the second placed team, while the referees went home with N20,000.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the organising committee, Michael Agi, expressed the gratitude of the entire youths of the neighbourhood to Ndoma-Egba for his gesture in sponsoring the tournament.
Agi recalled that when they brought the proposal to the Senator, he had promptly approved all their requests and the success recorded was heartwarming to all concerned.
He added that the youths were already looking forward to the next edition of the competition and expressed their willingness to always partner with Ndoma-Egba for the overall good of the Asari Eso neighbourhood.
Ndoma-Egba, seen by his admirers as a distinguished politician with an innate sense of compassion, facilitated and attracted numerous projects/empowerment programmes to his constituency and sponsored several bills and motions that were meant to address issues germane to national development, in his time at the National Assembly.
Even after leaving the Senate since 2015 where he ably represented the people of Cross River Central Senatorial District, the ex-parliamentarian, a stalwart of All Progressives Congress, has continued to offer service to humanity and partake in activities geared towards nation building.
