Get Guardian on GoogleThe Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, has said that the KOHmmunity Football Cup, which will hold later this month, will blend grassroots sports development with civic and political engagement ahead of the 2027 elections.
Already, former Super Eagles player, Waidi Akanni and five-time Olympian, legendary table tennis star, Bose Kaffo, have thrown their weight behind the football initiative.
The one-day football festival was unveiled in Lagos a few days ago by the PBAT-KOH 2027 Contact and Mobilisation Sub-Committee on Sports, which is the initiator of the football event.
The committee is headed by Fatodu.
The unveiling ceremony of the KOHmmunity Football Cup, held at Radisson Blu, Victoria Island, Lagos, was attended by people from all walks of life, including top sports personalities.
The acronym represents President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) and Lagos State Deputy Governor/Governorship Aspirant Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat (KOH).
Akanni, a former chairman of Lagos Football Association, has donated a giant trophy to be contested for by football players from all parts of Lagos.
“This is a great idea, and I am happy to be part of it,” Akanni told journalists at the unveiling ceremony.
Speaking at the occasion, Fatodu said: “This one-day football festival in Lagos is to blend grassroots sports development with civic and political engagement ahead of the 2027 elections. This tournament leverages the unifying power of football to drive civic engagement, youth participation, and community integration across Lagos.
“It is aimed at fusing grassroots sports with civic awareness. The initiative explicitly targets individuals aged 18 to 35, linking soccer engagement to voter participation. This is a vehicle to encourage youth to be actively involved in the coming election and this will establish a decisive grassroots base for the ruling APC candidates ahead of 2027.”
On her part, five-time Olympian, Bose Kaffo, who is the secretary of the PBAT-KOH 2027 Contact and Mobilisation Sub-Committee on Sports, said one of the cardinal objectives of the committee is to bring out the data on number of people in sports in Lagos State.
Kaffo, who competed in five Olympic Games from Barcelona 1992 to Beijing 2008, said: “This is the first time sports is playing an active role in electioneering campaign, and I urge all sportsmen and women to be part of it.”
