By Ogar Monday
Organizers of the annual Ikpakapit Football Tournament have revealed that they hope that the tournament unites the 9 units that make up the Ikpakapit Ward, Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State, saying that football is dear to the heart of the Ikpakapit people and is being exploited for good.
Mr. Ibiang Iwara, the Youth President of Ikpakapit held that “Football they say is a unifying game. The purpose of this competition is to bring together all youths in Ikpakapit, working in their various teams to achieve a goal, which is winning the competition. “
Ibiang added that the tournament is an opportunity for the abundant talent in the community to showcase their skills to the various scouts that will be gracing the competition and get the opportunity to go professional.
Also speaking, the Coordinator of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), Mr. Nta Otu Oka, added that the competition which will run till the 25th of December, 2022 is both a source of entertainment for the people of Ikpakapit and encourages healthy competition amongst the youth towards achieving unity.
Otu Oka revealed that the 9 units in Ikpakapit ward- Alawituwen, Egbizium, Kewin-usaja, Lekpankom, Letekom, Ndayi, Ntamkpo, Usaja, and Yenon- will all be contesting to clinch the trophy and cash prize.
Earlier while kicking off the competition, the Clan Head of Ikpakapit, His Royal Highness, Livinus Ofem, said he was happy that the youths of his community have chosen the field of football to compete, and that at the end everyone will be a winner- The health benefits of playing in the field and winning for the players, and the entertainment value for this watching from the stands.
The clan head called for more support for the organizers, as they have done a wonderful job bringing together all the units in the ward under one roof.
In the opening game, Ntamkpo FC clinched over Letekum FC through a second-half strike by Lambert Felix.