Dallaji hosts ex-Eagles, advocates grassroots soccer growth

Founder of the African Children Talent Discovery Foundation (ACTDF), Engr. Noah Dallaji, has stated that game of soccer has been identified as a major means of developing the talents of youths in the country.

He made this known at a novelty match graced by a collection of former internationals of Super Eagles he hosted in Bauchi, Bauchi State. He added that his foundation was poised to creating a structured platform in the country to afford talented youths the opportunity to realise their goals in life.

He told a crowd of soccer lovers, who thronged the Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi to watch the match that though it was a novelty match, but that the long term vision was to use the big names in Nigerian football as represented by the former internationals to sensitise and promote huge interest of those who are really talented to embrace the game for personal actualisation.

To this end, Dallaji said the ACTDF would hold similar novelty matches in the six geo-political zones in due course and ultimately establish a football academy to groom the next generation of Nigerian footballers that can match the best in the world.

He said: “Basically, this is a novelty match that is designed to sensitise talented youths to see that they can become global stars and very useful to themselves and the country. You know, talent is a resource that needs to be developed; you explore and exploit the resource for the ultimate diadem. This is essentially aimed to help our youths make the best of their talents.

“That’s why we assembled some of the big names in our soccer history to play here and we are taking it to the other geo-political zones very soon. So the long-term vision is to have an academy to be run by experts and serve as platform to develop and showcase our talented youths to the world as world-class players.

“We are going to expose them to both local and international training and competitions and we believe we can actually develop new Ronaldos, new Messis, the Jay-Jays, Tijani Babangida, Amunike, Kanu Nwankwos of this world. This would be our major export to the world.”

Among the ex-internationals, who graced the event are former Eagles Captain and National Coach, Austin Eguavoen, Taribo West, Tijani Babangida, Emmanuel Babayaro, Garba Lawal and former Eagles goal poacher, Victor Agali.