CDS Under-15 Boys Football Championship, Ended In Grand Style, Calls For Non-Kinetic Youth Engagement
The maiden edition of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) South-South Under-15 Boys Football Championship ended in grand style on 20 December 2025 at the Sharks Football Club Stadium, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The week-long tournament featured teams from the South-South region, as well as Abia and Imo States.
At the closing ceremony, the CDS, General Olufemi Oluyede, reiterated the importance of sports as a vital non-kinetic tool for positively engaging the youths amid Nigeria’s security challenges. He described the championship as a demonstration of collective commitment to grooming disciplined, talented and focused young men. The CDS further noted that the tournament went beyond football to promote unity, teamwork and character building as well as patriotic values such as discipline, resilience, fair play and respect. The CDS was represented by the Chief of Defence Administration, Rear Admiral Gideon Kachim.
Also speaking at the event, the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Sports, Mr Emmanuel Ndah, commended the CDS and the organisers for hosting the event in Port Harcourt. He noted that the championship fostered unity, teamwork and discipline among the participants from the South-South region as well as Abia and Imo States, reiterating sports as an effective non-kinetic tool for youth engagement and national development.
Earlier, during the third-place match, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Emmanuel Eric Emekah, advised the youths to shun vices such as drug abuse, cultism, indiscipline, peer pressure and truancy. He urged them to embrace sports as a means of building discipline, teamwork, resilience and respect for good order, stressing that discipline in sports translates to discipline in life generally. He thanked the CDS for entrusting 6 Division with hosting the tournament, describing it as timely, especially with the yuletide season approaching.
In a vote of thanks, Team Imo State Military athlete, Elijah Dozie, appreciated the CDS for his commitment to youth and sports development. He thanked fellow athletes for the lessons, exposure, and friendship gained, pledging continued discipline, teamwork, and excellence on and off the field.
Team Imo State Military emerged champions after a keenly contested 2–1 victory over Team Edo State in the finals. Team Edo State finished second, while Team Akwa Ibom State secured third place after a penalty shootout. These transited into presentations of medals and trophies, a crucial aspect effectively coordinated by the Chairman of the Central Organising Committee, Air Vice Marshal Tunde Phillips.
On the whole, the tournament represented the commitment of the CDS and the Armed Forces of Nigeria to youth empowerment and productive engagement.
A statement sighed by SAMAILA UBA
Major General
Director Defence Information.
