The Imo U-17 girls football team have emerged winners of the
12th edition of Naval Officers Wives Association (NOWA) soccer tournament.
Similarly, the 10-man Adoration Boys of Enugu demolished their Abia opponents 5-0 to clinch the trophy of the 20th edition of the Chief of the Naval Staff U-14 boys tournament.
A total of 19 teams from 16 states participated in the weeklong tournaments which ended at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium Enugu on Saturday.
The Imo girls beat their highly rated Ebonyi counterparts 4-0 to lift the NOWA trophy for the first time.
The Kogi boys team got a consolation as they defeated their Rivers counterparts 1-0 to win the third place match.
The Chief Of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla was represented by Navy Secretary Rear Admiral Patrick Nwatu while the chief of Air Staff was represented by Air Officer Commanding ground training command Air vice Marshal UK Abdullahi.
The Commissioner for Youths and Sports Barrister Lloyd Ekweremadu represented Enugu Governor Peter Mba at closing ceremony.
Notably, the tournaments are hosted in different Nigerian cities annually and involved youth soccer teams from across the country.
The 16 participating states were: Abia, Abuja, Anambra, Ebonyi, Benue, Enugu, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Osun, Imo, Nasarawa, Rivers, and Kaduna.
Nwodo Nicholas of Enugu won the best male goalkeeper of the tournament, while Wisdom Boniface won the highest goal scorer and the most valuable player award with 6 goals.
Imo’s Okpara Jacklin was the best female goalkeeper of the tournament.
There were other numerous awards that added colour to the Occasion.
In all the Youth Sports Federation Of Nigeria YSFON is full of appreciation for the players and officials for contributing to the success of the tournaments.
The Nigerian Navy also congratulated the Youths for their discipline and urged them to be focused and hard working to ensure a formidable future for the country.