The Executive Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and the Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalong, will on March 16, 2017 lead a host of other personalities within government, corporate and the sporting world to the first phase of the Dinner Launch of the Stephen Keshi Football and Vocational Training Center. The event is billed to hold from 7pm at the Conference Hall of Prestige Hotel, GRA, Benin City, Edo State.

The Dinner Launch, according to a statement issued on Monday in Lagos by NANPF General Secretary, Comrade Austin Popo, is one of activities put in place by the National Association of Nigeria Professional Footballers (NANPF) custodian of the project to raise Funds for the construction of the Stephen Keshi Football and Vocational Training Center Obazuwa Edo State, otherwise, Nigeria Footballers Village (South South Zone), designed to immortalise the outstanding legacies and contributions of Stephen Okechukwu Keshi to the overall development of Nigeria and Africa football.

The late Stephen Keshi remains a legend of Nigeria and Africa Football having captained the Nigeria Senior National Football Team (Super Eagles) for eleven years during which he won the Africa Cup of Nations, Gold, Silver and Bronze and led the team to qualify for Nigeria’s first appearance at the FIFA World Cup finals-USA 1994. He also became only the second person to win the Africa Cup of Nations as a player and as a coach. He coached the Super Eagles to win the title in South Africa in 2013.

The SKFVTC project occupying a land space of 1,000 by 1,000 FT donated by a former Nigerian footballer, Prince Edun Akenzua (MFR), the Enogie (Duke) of Obazuwa in Edo State. It is estimated to cost about N3 billion and will feature facilities such as covers gallery, main football and three training pitches, housing complex of two-bedroom apartment blocks to be sold to footballers and coaches, lawn tennis and basketball courts.

Others are primary and secondary schools, workshops for automobile, electrical, furniture, fashion design, auditorium, guest house, pure water factory, bakery, clinic/pharmacy, agricultural area for poultry, food crops and a host of others.

The SKFVTC is one of the six Nigeria Footballers Villages planned by the Players Union in the six Goe-political Zones of Nigeria to amongst other objectives provide massive job opportunities for former Nigeria Professional Footballers and youths in Nigeria through its “Football in the Community Project”, and serve as a focal point of developing young talented Nigerian football players both technically as well as academically to build their career paths after retirement. The Dinner will be preceded by the meeting of the players Union NANPF National Administrative Council (NAC) in the evening of March 15, 2017.

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