The much-anticipated SAMDA Nigeria launch lived up to expectations, drawing a remarkable turnout as prominent personalities from various sectors gathered at the Hall of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Maryland, Lagos, to witness the organisation’s official entry into Nigeria.
Despite starting later than scheduled, the press conference, which sets the stage for a U-13 football tournament featuring boys and girls, carried all the hallmarks of a grand occasion.
The occasion featured enthusiastic students, most of whom were sports talents seeking words of encouragement, and their excitement went overboard after listening to the speakers, including SAMDA Nigeria’s head of media and publicity, Mr Godwin Aikigbe; the compere who led the opening prayer and delivered the opening remark; and SAMDA Nigeria Chairman, Tajudeen Disu.
Disu, who is also SAMDA’s head of sports in Africa, drew thunderous applause from the packed hall after going down memory lane, reliving his football career from grassroots to the international level.
“SAMDA comes into Nigeria to give the talented young boys and girls an opportunity to take their careers to enviable heights. I know so because I’ve been down that route and conversant with the inherent benefits of platforms to enhance growth and development,” said Disu as the children went wild in excitement, envisioning a sporting future of immense opportunities.
The former Nigeria defender added, “I represented both my primary and secondary school before being drafted into the YSFON team that represented the country at a youth tournament in Dallas, USA. Some of us were spotted by universities’ coaches at the tournament, and fortunately for me, I was pursuing my higher school certificate at Baptist Academy in Obanikoro, Lagos State.
“I was later drafted into the U20 team and represented Nigeria at the 1983 World Youth Championship in Mexico, which was the country’s maiden appearance at the World Cup. Eventually, I got a full scholarship with Alabama State University, where I captained the football team in the 200 level, the first student to have achieved that feat. I later sponsored over 15 youth players to the USA, where they also enjoyed full scholarships with various universities.
“Now the programme is back, and we would do our best to ensure our young ones enjoyed the same opportunity.”
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Abdulakeem Babatunde Shittu, expressed his delight at the programme, hoping that it does not fizzle out like earlier programmes that showed great promise at the start.
He said, “At LASUBEB, we greatly care about the future of our pupils as it concerns their development and growth. We’ve had programmes of this kind in the past, which showed great promise but failed to see the light of day. We sincerely hope this will be different.”
Mr Babatunde Adewale Jimoh, who represented LASUBEB chairman during the press briefing, shared his excitement about the programme, especially the football tournament, which he described as an extraordinary tournament.
“We are grateful to SAMDA Nigeria for bringing this programme to LASUBEB, especially the football event, which by our reckoning is a viable platform for our pupils to showcase their skills and launch their football career.”
Several ex-Nigeria internationals also graced the occasion, including Waidi Akanni, Michael Dominic, and Sunny Epochi, among others.
The press conference and launch now done and over with, all roads now lead to Opebi Primary School in Ikeja, Lagos, where U13 boys and girls will showcase their skills in a football tournament from Sunday, 19 April, to Tuesday, 21 April 2026. The teams are expected to arrive in camp on Sunday for registration, while hostilities commence the following day.
